Battling with a God
by harsens-rob
Summary: Story 19 in Spanderverse:Glory tears through the Scooby Gang one by one to find which is the Key. The Scooby Gang isn't going to let her get away with it, but what can they do? My version of 'Spiral' and 'Weight of the World' Giles makes a fateful choice.
1. Personal Losses

Disclaimer: Legal stuff, don't own characters, haven't made any money, this is for entertainment purposes, no profit earned, lawyers go away. –_kisses-_

**Emails are welcome as are honest reviews. I respond to all correspondence. In addition check out the 'Spanderverse' Forum under the Buffy topic. You'll find 'commentaries' on my stories revealing what I was thinking at the time of writing.**

POV: Shifts Perspective

Spoiler Alert: There are tidbits from past episodes and _especially_ the Spanderverse series.

Notes: Story number Twenty in the Spanderverse-universe, following "_Songs of Pain and Comfort_". Everything from the television series through the defeat of Adam also occurred as depicted, in the Spanderverse.

People's thoughts are depicted in _italics_. You'll find emphasis depicted with an underline.

More Notes: BIG thanks to Joss, the ME creative team and the crew of one of the best shows on television. WE MISS YOU! And THANK YOU JOSS and DH COMICS for Buffy: Season 8!

Thanks to the authors of Fanfiction, wherever you may post. It's probable that I've read at least one of your stories somewhere. I apologize for recycling concepts inadvertently from the plentitude of stories I've read.

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**Battling with a God**

Ch 1 – Personal Losses

**Xander awoke with a start and looked around the darkened apartment. The only lights were coming from outside the large multi-paned window behind the couch he lay on and the flickering images from the television. He remembered now that he'd flipped the television onto Sci-Fi Channel and then lay down on the sofa. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but it wasn't a surprise he had.**

**Taking a quick look on the way to his bedroom, he saw it was a few minutes after ten. He frowned slightly as he opened the door to check on Spike. The vampire was still resting as far as he could see in the dark, his form was unmoving and his chest was still. He didn't even stir a little as Xander shut the door behind him.**

**His frown deepened as he walked to the kitchen and hit the light. The apartment was really quiet and he'd expected to find Anya home by now. He looked at her bedroom door and hesitated a moment before crossing the dining area. He could guess that she might not want to talk to him right now, after he'd invited Spike to stay in their home for the foreseeable future. Still, they were going to have to talk about things sooner or later and he'd rather do it while he knew Spike wasn't listening in on their conversation.**

**He knocked lightly on the door and called out her name. When there was no response, he considered she may have come home and promptly fallen asleep. They were all exhausted from being up all night and most of the day.**

**A breath later and he went ahead and opened her door. Peering into the gloom of the room, he saw the bed undisturbed from when she'd made it yesterday morning. His frown became a scowl. He didn't know whether to be worried or angry. Either she was avoiding coming home just because Spike was here now, in which case he'd be pissed. Or something was wrong. The shop, even if she'd opened it which seemed unlikely considering she'd need the sleep, would have been closed an hour ago. **

**He crossed to the phone and dialed up the Magic Box. After six rings the machine picked up.**

"**You've reached the Magic Box," Giles' voice said. "And, uh, we're not open at the moment. But we would really like to assist you with your magical needs. **

**Uh," and at this time Xander was rolling his eyes; he'd need to talk to Giles about being a little more succinct. **

"**Uh, well, our opening hours are Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 am to 9 pm. Um, do stop by, won't you?"**

**In the background, Anya could be heard, "Giles, tell them to leave a message!"**

"**Oh, yes, uh, you can also leave a message at the beep!" **

**The machine gave its tone and Xander's mouth went dry. He wasn't sure what was bothering him so much, but he had the feeling of wrongness. He wondered if it was an instinctual response from Hyena, maybe, but she was silent at the moment.**

"**Anya? It's Xan…listen, I'm a bit worried 'cause you haven't come home. If you're there, could you pick up?" The only response to his query was silence and then the machine beeped again letting him know he'd reached his time limit and it was hanging up.**

**A quick dial later and he was speaking to Tara. "Hey, T, is Buffy there?"**

"**Not right now, Xan. She wanted to do a quick patrol, see if she could grab a minion of Glory's for questioning. That's why I'm here. Willow and I are watching Dawn while we go through some more magic books that Giles dropped off. I could let her know you called?"**

"**Do you think she remembered her cell? Anya didn't come home and there's no answer at the shop. I was kind of hoping she'd swing by there."**

"**Oh, uh, maybe. You know, Anya may just wanted to, um, t-to not come home for a while."**

"**I know. I just don't know where else she could have gone and like I said, no one is answering at the Box. I'm going to try Buff's cell. Thanks, Tara. See you soon."**

**Buffy picked up on the second ring and Xander explained his concerns. After assuring her that he understood that Anya had probably just sacked out on one of the sofas, he asked her to check for him.**

"**No problem, Xander. I'm about twenty minutes away. I'll have her call you when I find her. How's Spike?"**

"**Resting. His face isn't looking so bad; I think he'll recover."**

**Buffy sighed and Xander could tell by her tone when she spoke next that she was trying not to sound all judgey-like. **

"**Listen, Xan…we need to talk about, uh, you. And Spike. Uh…you and Spike. Giles was really freaking in the car about vampire-human thralls and consorts and the human ending up dead or evil. I almost had to punch him out to get him not to go rushing to the apartment with a stake in one hand and a sermon for you in the other."**

"**And what about you? Do I have your support, at least?"**

"**I have serious reservations. I mean, maxi-wig type reservations. But I also love you and I don't believe Spike wants to hurt you or use you. On the other hand…I can't stop thinking about what happened…me and Angel. You know?"**

"**Yeah, I know," Xander nodded his head. "I kissed him."**

"**What? Whoa…how did he react? Please tell me he kissed you back!"**

**That elicited a laugh from him. "Weren't you just telling me there were maxi-wiggins going on? I thought I'd get an "I'm coming over there to douse your lips in holy water" from you."**

"**Hey, I can be a hopeless romantic like any other girl. Besides…. Uh, have you talked to him, yet?"**

"**Not yet. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing, and then I ran away."**

"**Oh," she said in a way that made him think she wanted to spill something.**

"**What? There's something you want to say."**

"**We'll talk. But first, you need to find out what's going on in Spike's head. And don't worry, Giles will chill out. I'll call you back when I get to the Box; I'm running short of minutes for the month, again."**

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**Giles rolled over in bed at the insistent ring of the phone on the nightstand. He reached over to pick it up while rubbing at his eyes. The luminescent round face of his alarm clock told him it was 10:06pm. He wondered if it was the same day he'd fallen asleep or if he'd slept through yesterday. It had taken him forever to finally drift off as his mind was preoccupied with Xander's ridiculous revelation.**

**Clearing his head, he answered the phone.**

"**Mr. Giles? This is Detective Richard Stein with the Sunnydale P.D. Are you the current owner of the 'Magic Box' store on Main Street?"**

"**Y-yes, I am. What is this about Detective?"**

"**I think you should come down here, sir. There's been some trouble."**

"**Trouble? W-what sort of trouble?"**

"**Sir, if you would," the detective said patiently. "I think you should come down here. Do you happen to know a blonde who may have been an employee of yours?"**

"**Yes. Anya Jenkins, she runs the shop for me. Detective, please, what's happened?"**

"**It appears perhaps a robbery. Or possibly just vandalism, but Ms. Jenkins is being loaded in an ambulance right now. She doesn't appear physically hurt, but she's obviously suffered a shock. I'm afraid your store has suffered some damage."**

"**I-I-I'm on my way. Thank you, Detective." **

**As soon as Giles hung up the phone, he immediately called Buffy to find that she was already headed that way. Next he phoned Xander.**

"**Look, Giles, if this is about Spike, can we just do it tomorrow?"**

"**Xander, go to the hospital," he said, ignoring Xander's opening. He would definitely be speaking to the boy about this foolishness, but there were more immediate concerns. "Anya is being taken there by ambulance. Something has happened at the store, I'm on my way over there now," he said in a rush as he struggled to get his foot into one of his shoes.**

"**Oh, God. How bad? Do you know what happened?"**

"**Not yet. Just go and meet Anya at Sunnydale General. Buffy and I will be there as soon as we learn what's happened tonight. I'll take care of calling the girls at Buffy's when I find out what we're dealing with. Xander? The detective I spoke to said that Anya didn't appear injured, just upset. Drive carefully. We'll speak to you again, soon."**

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**When Rupert Giles arrived at the Magic Box, he found Buffy pacing in front of the store. The front door had been broken in, obviously, and there were currently multiple flashing lights from two police cars, an unmarked with a bubble light and a fire truck. Men were dragging a heavy looking hose out of the front of the shop and rolling it toward a ladder truck.**

"**Buffy…," he started, but was interrupted.**

"**Mr. Giles? I'm Lieutenant Stein. I'll be looking into this arson," a balding man said. He looked vaguely familiar, but he was so non-descript, it was hard to know whether Giles had ever met him.**

"**Arson," Giles questioned, while growing pale.**

"**Yes, there was a fire in the rear office area of the building. The fire chief says it looks like there was deliberate damage to the electrical box, but they're obviously not done investigating yet. I'm afraid that much of the stock in your shop was smashed or otherwise damaged. Whoever did this, they were either looking for something, or they were angry about something. Do you have any ideas about who could have done this? Any angry patrons? Or people who didn't appreciate a supernatural store being in town?"**

**During the entire exchange, Giles was uncomfortably aware that the detective had his attention mostly on Buffy. He knew that the Sunnydale police had had run-ins with her before, of course, due to Slayer business. He certainly hoped the detective wasn't thinking Buffy could have been involved in this.**

"**No, we've had no problems since the store opened," replied Giles. **_**If you don't count Glory,**_** he added in his thoughts.**

"**Well, hopefully we'll find some sort of clues once the fire chief gives our crime scene squad permission to enter. I know you want to get in and assess your losses, but I'll have to ask you to stay out here beyond this point until I give you the word." Detective Stein caught Buffy's eyes and gave her a nod, "Ma'am."**

**As soon as he was out of earshot, Giles took Buffy around the shoulder and walked her to the other side of the street. "Buffy?"**

"**I don't know, Giles. He's the same detective that I had to talk to when I thought I'd killed Ted, the robot. And what's up with this ma'am garbage? Am I looking that old?!" **

"**What of Anya," he sighed.**

"**I got to speak to her for a minute," Buffy swallowed. "Giles…she was… I think Glory got to her. She was like the other loonies in town. Talking nonsense…Xander is going to have a hard time with this. I should have been able to stop Glory by now! This is my fault."**

"**No, it isn't. It's the Council and my failure to find an adequate means to stop her."**

"**She's going through us one by one, Giles. Spike, Anya… whose next?"**

"**Yes, her timetable must be growing short. From what I could see, they've torn apart nearly everything in the shop. Why the fire, however?"**

"**A warning. She's letting me know she's done playing games," Buffy said. "I have to get to the hospital. Maybe there's something I can do to help Xan."**

"**I'm going to wait here." Giles looked into the distance, thoughtfully. "Thankfully most of the spell books are at the apartment or with Tara and Willow. I'll have to call them, of course, and let them know what's happened. Buffy, promise me you won't go after Glory tonight. I know you're angry…."**

"**I'm not angry, Giles. I'm scared. It's only a matter of time before she reaches Dawn. I'm surprised she hasn't already and we're still no closer to finding a way to stop this."**

**Giles watched his Slayer as she began to walk away. To any observer he would have looked preoccupied and certainly worried. The police, firemen and gawkers couldn't know what his mind was contemplating. **

**He just hoped that what he was considering wouldn't end up causing suffering for the children.**

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End Chapter 1


	2. Desperation

**Battling with a God**

Ch 2 – Desperation

**Xander was sitting on one of the hard plastic chairs in the waiting room when he felt someone sit next to him. A moment later and a firm and warm hand took hold of his right. His left was busy raking through his hair as he sat with his head bent and eyes closed.**

"**I really hate this place," he said, sounding exhausted.**

"**I know. Me, too," Buffy's voice responded. "I'm sorry. I know that doesn't mean anything, but…."**

"**Of course it does," he said as he met her eyes. He saw they were filled with worry and guilt. "This isn't your fault, Buffy. You know that, right?"**

"**Maybe in my head…my heart though is telling me I should have stopped this."**

"**It's not like we're not trying. ****You've**** tried. I've seen the bruises to prove it."**

"**I should have stormed her penthouse when we went for Spike," Buffy shook her head. "Maybe with Tara and Willow we could have gotten her."**

"**Buffy, she's a god for chrissake," Xander angrily replied. "The only thing you would have accomplished is getting killed." **

**His voice took on a softer tone, "And I kinda already went through that; not looking forward to doing it again. Especially since I don't think CPR works if your heart has been punched out," he added.**

**She sighed and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I just feel responsible for keeping you all safe. I'm supposed to be the great and powerful warrior for good," she shrugged. "Right now, all I'm doing is standing around and grimacing a lot."**

"**We'll get her, Buffy. It's what we do. In the meantime, we all know the risks and we all feel it's worth it. You gotta give yourself a break once in a while."**

"**Have they told you anything," she said, purposely switching the topic. "I saw her when they were loading her…."**

"**They said it was shock. She wasn't injured as far as they could tell, but they want to X-Ray her skull to make sure. Was she conscious?"**

"**Yeah, but Xan, she wasn't…she wasn't making much sense."**

"**Oh, damn…you're trying to tell me it's not shock, aren't you? It was Glory. I thought…my mind was on her scabby dwarves, I didn't even think…."**

**Buffy whispered, "We'll find a way to reverse it, Xan. I promise."**

"**What if there isn't a way?"**

"**There is. I believe there is, so there is. And Tara and Willow and Giles are going to find it in all those stupid headache inducing books of theirs. You got that? I'm the Slayer and I say this is reversible."**

**After a brief moment of silence he gave her a small but worried smile, "I love you."**

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**It was several hours later when Buffy's cell phone rang. She was sitting in Xander's apartment and sharing a pot of coffee with him. They tried to strategize what their next step would be, but it mostly involved long silences and re-assuring squeezes of each other's hands. Spike still hadn't stirred, even when Xander turned on the bedroom light and tried to get him to wake up for a mug of blood. He'd be worried if he didn't know that if Spike were dead, really dead, he'd be more ashy looking. On the plus side, he really was looking better than when he'd arrived.**

**Anya wasn't there with them. Xander had known that there was no way the hospital would release her tonight, yet it still caused an intake of breath when the doctor had informed him that they had admitted her. They'd given her a mild sedative to help her sleep as her scans showed no physical injuries to her head, chest or abdomen. Her mouth was bruised as if she'd been hit, but it was minor. What had the attending, Doctor Kyra Nichols, really worried were her incoherent responses to questioning. They wanted to observe her overnight and have her seen by a psychiatric consult in the morning. **

**Xander and Buffy both knew they'd find nothing they could treat. The sixth floor ward was full of sufferers of the same thing, already.**

**She hung up her cell phone as Xander returned with a day old box of supermarket donuts. **

"**Giles says the fire chief is definitely ruling it arson, as if we didn't know exactly what happened anyway."**

"**How much did he lose?"**

"**His important papers for the shop, for one. It looks like Glory ripped open his fire proof safe and threw them around the office. He had some emergency money there that she used as kindling. Add damage to the electrical box, and whoosh…fire. The fire department was able to put it out before it spread down the hallway from his office. Most of the shop's items were destroyed, anyway. Glory probably smashed everything that wasn't her stupid Key. I don't think anything major was there though, and the stuff in the basement should be okay."**

"**Did you tell him about the doctors," he asked before taking another swallow of coffee.**

"**Yeah, but it wasn't anything he didn't already figure. Xander, we'll help you with whatever you need to look after her. I mean, just until we cure her," she added with desperate sounding hope.**

**Xander only sighed. "You should get back to Dawn."**

"**I can stay, if you need. Tara and Willow won't mind. In the meantime, Giles says he's getting out the 'big book'. I'm not sure what that means exactly, but it sounded good on the phone."**

"**No, it's okay, Buff. I'm just gonna sack out for a while so I can be up early to get back to the hospital. I may need you to help me break her out of lockdown though, if they won't release her into my custody."**

"**You got it," she said. And she'd had such conviction in her voice that Xander didn't doubt that she'd meant it literally if that's what it took.**

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**Giles took a deep, steadying breath as he knelt down just inside of his closet door. Before him, bolted to the floor, was a small chest. It was surrounded by wards of various types, mostly to keep it from being seen by any casual observers. There were also the usual safeguards against its removal or opening by those who shouldn't be touching it.**

"**A KORUMASIZ," he whispered in Turkish. With another breath, he uttered "OLMAK AÇMAK," in the same language. **

**There was a ripple of disturbance in the air over the chest for a moment. He then placed a hand on the back of the chest, feeling for the ever so slight indentation that would reveal the chest's hidden trigger. When he found it, he hesitated but finally pressed it. With this action, the chest lid sprang loose, allowing him to lift it and reveal the contents within. Even as he reached for the book the chest contained, he could feel malevolent energy crawling up through his fingers and making the hairs on his arm stand on end. Inside the hand which picked up the volume, he felt an uncomfortable itch. It was as if he'd gotten mosquito bites underneath the fingernails but the sensation went all the way to the bone. It could quickly drive a man insane since there was no way to relieve such an itch, except to drop the book which Giles now did onto his bed.**

**He stared down at the exquisite writing on the cover. Written in gold leaf, hand stamped by some long ago wizard-king was 'LİBRETTO IN GECE YARISI'. Roughly translated from Turkish, it meant the 'Book of Midnight'. The gold leaf was stamped into the hide of the black and shiny cover. One who didn't know better may have mistaken it for well-maintained genuine leather. The truth was that it was human skin. Black slaves who'd had the misfortune of being slaughtered in the most despicable of dark rituals had provided their flesh.**

**It was a book so filled with death and pain, that Giles had never planned on opening it to peruse its pages. Even Ethan, who had given him the tome, had found it too dangerous to use in his chaotic fun. As far as those who'd be interested knew, it was lost and most likely destroyed centuries ago. Ethan had thought that the Council was given it for their vaults, but Giles had kept it. He'd been too afraid for anyone but himself to have access to it and he'd tried for decades to find a way to truly destroy it.**

**Now he stared at the hideous thing as if just looking upon it filled him with dread. It would not be a mistaken assumption. His eyes flicked over the bedspread as he noted with a touch of fear that the blue color of it was being leached by its contact with the book of spells and rituals. The gaily colored comforter was quickly becoming a soiled gray and darkness spread from under the book to suck away any brilliance from the world around it, dooming its environs to a malaise of despair.**

**Giles shook himself as he realized he was nearly beguiled by the book into falling into depression and probable suicide if it had succeeded. **

"**Forgive me," he whispered. He wasn't sure if it was to Buffy who relied on him or to the powers of Order that he ultimately was supposed to be working for. **

**He opened the cover and started to read the index page.**

_**Glory is a Hellgod, **_**he thought as he felt a piece of his soul slip away. **_**And this is the only way to save Buffy and keep us from having to kill Dawn.**_

**Outside the apartment, the wind howled. Thunder rumbled and Sunnydale experienced a freak and violent storm that hadn't been forecast.**

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**At the same moment that Giles was putting his immortal soul in danger, Glorificus the Mighty stood gazing out at the park below her. She wore a satisfied grin as she sipped champagne, occasionally giggling to herself and her followers.**

"**Who knew Buffy had such interesting friends," she lightly asked no one. She expected no answer and didn't allow any time for the goblins to intrude on her merriment.**

"**I mean, I thought I was feeding on a shop keeper and what do I get instead? Well…she may not have been my lovely Key, but she wasn't just any old human I can tell you that," she laughed. "I hope the rest of Slutty's friends taste as good!"**

**Outside the window, lightning began to flash across the sky. She frowned briefly, an unaccustomed chill running down the length of her spine.**

"**That's odd," she said, again demanding no answer. A sudden feeling began to gnaw at her, though she couldn't name it. It was sort of like when she knew Benji was taking over, but it was different…more intense. If she had words to describe the emotion, her underlings would have told her it was dread. **

**Instead she put on a wide grin, though her demon attendants found it strained. "I think I need a good, hot oatmeal bath to celebrate!"**

**Around her, the grey men and women jumped to attention to comply with her wishes. None of them spoke of it, but all felt suddenly uneasy for reasons they could not name.**

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**At Buffy's house, Tara had the sudden urge to vomit and ran to the bathroom upstairs. At the dining room table, Buffy shivered but kept looking for a spell that could help restore Anya's sanity. Across from her, Willow felt an odd sense of giddiness and fear, like the moment when the roller-coaster cars are tipping forward just before it rushes down the first large hill. **

**Upstairs, Dawn tossed and turned in her bed. She muttered 'no' a few times, but would have no memory of the nightmare's details she was trapped within.**

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**On his sofa, Xander also tossed violently. Deep within his psyche, Hyena felt a burst of strength and invulnerability. It was as if someone had tapped into some dark energy and was beaming it directly to her. **

**Xander's face wore a malevolent smile, even as he groaned within his mind and called silently for help. Commando was shivering with fear and aggression as he felt Hyena's sudden lust for the kill and knew she was directing it toward him. She'd always dreamed of the time when she would be the pack leader and he could feel her hunger to eliminate him as if it were a physical thing; some dark power was racing through Sunnydale and emboldening her. He feared for himself and Xander Harris.**

**In the bedroom, Spike had morphed into his vampire visage. His dreams were full of violence and bloodshed. The taste of the Slayer's blood was still in his mouth from earlier and only fueled the darkness that lay claim to him, its childe. He could feel the heat of the Slayer in China against his chest, her heart racing against the back of her ribs. He laughed in his sleep as his dream self leaned in and bit hard.**

**Outside of his mind, his hand grabbed at the sheets. Vampire strength allowed even his well manicured nails to shred the cotton fabric. Under his eyelids, his eyes were yellow and filled with bloodlust. **

**His dream underwent a random shift, as dreams often did. And when Dawn begged him to stop, he laughed and let his nails dig into her naked flesh.**

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End Chapter 2


	3. The Quiet After

**Battling with a God**

Ch 3 – The Quiet After

**Giles awoke on the floor of his bedroom and coughed up bile. Outside the sun shone gaily down as it usually did in California, but its light didn't seem to make it within the room. He struggled to sit up and noted the dark grimoire's position; still on the now faded and grimy looking bedspread. **

**Taking a moment, he flexed the numbness from his fingers and then grabbed the text and shoved it back into its guarded chest. As soon as the lid on the chest was closed and the magical protections re-activated, the room around Giles seemed to brighten. Suddenly the morning sun was too bright and he stumbled out of his room feeling as if he'd spent the night drinking heavily. He made his way to the coffee pot and tried to forget what he'd almost resorted to. The Council would have his hide if they knew what he kept hidden and what he'd been considering using to battle Glory. That is, if Buffy left anything after she got done with him. He self-consciously looked back in the direction of the bedroom and shivered.**

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"**Rise and shine, unholy undead," Xander came banging into his bedroom. Spike opened his eyes and glared. **_**Not bad, **_**Xan thought, **_**I can actually see his facial expressions, again.**_

"**Should I bother asking why the Scoobies can't get it through their heads that its bedtime for us vamps? Or is it some sort of white-hat brain deficiency?"**

"**Now, now, Grumpy; I come bearing gifts. We have a little human blood, my own so you know it's good," he smirked. "Plus, a bowl of Frosted Flakes. I brought you a glass of milk. You can either drink it, or pour it over the cereal. I didn't know if you were going to 'add texture' to your blood this morning."**

**He approached the bed and set down the tray of food items. He then lifted the lower part of the blanket covering Spike and looked over the abused leg.**

"**Looks a lot better…still a lot of bruising, but it's almost back to its normal size."**

"**Thank you, Nurse," Spike said facetiously.**

"**What's up, Fangs? You seem bad-moody toward someone that has, after all, let you use their bed and taken care to see that you get the red stuff. And what the hell were doing in here last night? Nice way to destroy my bed linen, you ass."**

"**Sorry. I don't think I slept well last night. I remember…." Spike frowned and shook his head. He didn't remember anything, actually. But he had the impression of blood and darkness and, especially, violence. He must have been down memory lane while he dreamed.**

"**You seemed to sleep fine to me," Xander commented. "In fact, you were sleeping the sleep of the dead."**

"**Hah and hah. Why're you up so early? Problems at the site?"**

"**No, there's been trouble. Last night, uh, while you were out, Glory stopped by the shop," Xander said, swallowing over the lump in his throat. "Anya was there."**

"**Demon girl okay?"**

"**No," Xander nearly whispered, before clearing his throat. The lump that had been there all morning suddenly felt like a boulder. "No, I'm afraid not. Glory must have…. Anya's…confused, Spike. Like the other people that she's brain sucked. The hospital held her overnight and is going to give her a psych consult this morning."**

"**Xan…I'm sorry. I mean that. It's a cruel thing to do to a body; taking their sanity from them."**

"**Anyway, I need to do some things at the site so I can run over to the hospital later and pick her up."**

"**Will they release her," Spike asked as he poured his milk over the cereal Xander had brought in. "I figured they'd want to keep her in the nut—uh, in the ward, there."**

"**Oh, they'll release her, one way or another. Look, I gotta run but see if you can get up and move around later. Let's see how much healing you've done. How's the wrist, by the way?"**

"**Still broke, but it shouldn't be but a few days and I'll be right as rain."**

"**Okay…so, uh, there's still blood left in the fridge if you get hungry later. I'll try to get by here sometime around lunch. I'm not sure where I'm going to take Anya while I'm working."**

"**Don't sweat it," Spike said, looking over Xander curiously. "I can make do. Will probably be sleeping mostly, anyway…still a night creature, after all."**

**Xander smiled and told him he'd bring Chinese home for dinner then turned and left the apartment. Spike mulled over the day before while eating. **

_**So, no mention then about the kiss. No mention either of just how long he thinks I'm staying here. **_**He scoffed to himself, **_**No mention of anything, really. Except Anya…. **_

_**Glory must be getting pissy; first me and now the demon-bint. And now Xan's going to have to focus on taking care of her…bad timing. Probably not the best time to talk about what he did or what he was thinking, then. Dammit.**_

**He wondered briefly if maybe Anya had faked her attack, maybe to keep Xander from concentrating on him, instead. It was only for a moment before he scowled at himself in disgust. **_**That's demon thinking. She's a Scoob, like I've apparently become when I wasn't lookin'. I gotta make sure I help Xan with seeing to her…make sure he realizes I'm on his side.**_

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**Tara was busy brushing out her long hair following returning to the room from brushing her teeth. They'd returned to the dorm from Buffy's late and despite feeling like she could kill for a cup of coffee, there wasn't time to brew any. In bed, Willow lay undressed still and perusing a large manuscript. She looked over at the red head with curiosity.**

"**Will? You better get moving if you're going to make Drama class."**

"**Not going. There's too much to do," she replied distractedly.**

"**I know you feel badly over what's happened, Willow. So do I, but Buffy and Giles said we should stick to routine as much as possible," she sighed. She didn't really see the point in classes right now either, not after what had happened to Anya. Who knew where Glory would strike next? Although, Giles seemed to think they were safer in a public place than they'd be in the privacy of their homes.**

"**Don't care. I'm gonna find a way to hurt that bitch," Willow said with vehemence. **

"**What are you looking at?"**

"**The Dark Tome of Shaarad Doom," she replied, not looking up.**

"**Willow?!" **

**The red head snapped up with Willow wide eyed and guilty looking. She'd answered automatically and without thinking. She'd forgotten that Tara didn't know she'd snuck that volume away from Giles when he was distracted several months ago. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten to keep it hidden until the other witch had gone to class or that she'd gotten so caught up that she'd blown what she'd done without thinking. **

"**How did you get that?" Tara was frowning worriedly, "You know Giles doesn't want us to risk pouring over the Black Chronicles without his supervision!"**

"**W-well…I mean; I'm powerful enough to handle it. Besides, I'm not casting anything, I'm just reading. There has to be something here we can use. Giles is just a worry-wart."**

"**For good reason! Willow, some of those texts can cause damage to a person's psyche just reading them. You could hurt yourself."**

"**They can hurt regular people! I know what I'm doing," Willow insisted. She was getting more than a little tired of Tara's attitude toward dark magic. Sure it was riskier than all that healing-mother-earth-Wiccan-goodness crap, but Glory wasn't going to be defeated with a few colorful rainbows thrown at her.**

"**Really," Tara continued doubtfully. "Because it looks to me like you're stealing, lying and playing with forces you have no respect for."**

"**God, Tara, why are you being so bitchy about this? Glory is hurting our friends…or at least mine. I thought they were yours, too."**

"**Don't try to lay that on me; you know I love the gang. I'd do anything to help them. But delving into black magic with so little experience isn't going to bring Anya back. And you could make things a lot worse for all of us! I'm calling Giles," Tara said, walking over to the phone in their room.**

"**Interventus," Willow intoned under her breath as Tara picked up the handset. **

**Tara frowned when she didn't receive a dial tone. She hung up the phone and tried again then slammed it down in frustration.**

"**The stupid phone is out again. For as much as we pay to room here, we should really have better phone service than this."**

"**Tara, please don't run to Giles," Willow said quickly. Tara still had her cell phone after all and Willow didn't have time to follow the blonde around all day. "I'm sorry. I just want to help Buffy. I want to get Anya back…I can't stand thinking of her being locked away in the hospital."**

**Tara sighed and looked at Willow full of sympathy. "I know, Will. I want to help Anya, too, and we will. But we'll do it with White Magic." She looked at the slim watch she wore on one wrist. "Darn, I'm going to be late if I don't go. Please promise me you'll stop reading that book until we talk to Giles, together? I've got two hours between my first and second classes; I can come back here and look over my own spell books for a way to reverse what Glory did, okay?"**

"**Okay," Willow said with a firm nod as she closed the book and set it down on the floor at the side of the bed. "I'm sorry I acted all snippy-gal, especially that bitca comment."**

**Tara went over to the red head and kissed her deeply. When she drew away she gave her a small smile. "It's okay. We're all tired and stressed and scared. I'm sorry if I yelled. It's only 'cause I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you. You've so much power, Willow. I just want you to be careful about how you use it, that's all."**

"**I know. And I know sometimes I kind of act before I think. I better hurry to the shower before I'm late, too," she said, getting up from the bed and rushing to gather a towel and soap along with her robe. She added another kiss to Tara's lips and wished her a good day.**

**Once Tara had rushed out, Willow put down her items and threw on an old pair of sweats. She returned to the bed. Glancing nervously at the door, as if she expected Tara to double check on her, she picked up the book again. Opening to the page she'd left off on, Willow climbed back onto the mattress and went back to what she was doing.**

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"**I just need your signature here, here and then right down here with today's date," the nurse said as she handed the gentleman her pen.**

**Orlando Montessi signed the form in triplicate where the woman asked as his eyes kept roaming from the papers to Dante Papillion. His brother in arms looked around complacently with a disturbingly vapid smile playing on his lips. He seemed to be especially enamored of the nurse's dark brown hair and kept pawing the air toward it. Antonio Mercado kept grabbing his wrist and pushing the offending hand down. The nurse only smiled benignly at their stricken comrade, projecting the air of the professionally patient.**

"**We're grateful for the care you've shown our friend," Orlando said. "I'm sure if his parents were here, they'd also express their gratitude."**

"**Oh, not at all," she blushed. "Mr. Papillion has been a model patient. I'm just sorry that his vacation here was cut short by this unfortunate event."**

**Once they'd spent a few more minutes on pleasantries, the Knights of Byzantium walked their stricken outdoors and to their waiting rental car. Dante squinted into the morning sun and giggled to himself as he watched the bees go about their business in the flower bed near where they'd parked.**

"**Come along Dante," Antonio urged, getting him settled into the vehicle. "The General will be glad to have you back."**

"**I'd like to have him back, too," Orlando replied angrily. "The Beast should have just killed him, then leave him in this state."**

"**Maybe the clerics can help him."**

"**Maybe. General Kossimo doesn't seem to put much stock in them, however. And with good reason from what I've seen," he got into the driver's seat.**

**Continuing his thought once the vehicle was moving, he said, "The only thing we can do to honor Dante's sacrifice now is to destroy the Key."**

"**Hee-hee-hee," Dante giggled. "Pretty little Key, maiden in a row."**

"**W-what was that," Antonio said from the back seat. "Dante, what do you know of the Key?"**

"**It's pretty. Pretty, pretty, green light with brown hair. Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty…" he continued chanting to himself as he began to rock back and forth.**

"**Dante?! Are you saying you've seen the Key? That it's a person," Orlando excitedly asked. But Dante had slipped away, rocking back and forth in the back seat and chanting a non-stop litany of 'pretty, pretty, pretty'.**

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**A knocking at the door awoke Spike from another round of sleeping. A quick glance at Xander's alarm clock revealed it was nearly eleven. He lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes when the banging at the door intensified.**

"**Oi! Alright, alright," he moaned as he struggled into a standing position. The knee he'd been worried about held, but it sent shooting pains up and down his frame.**

**A third round of knocking came as he was limping toward the apartment's door. "Yes, yes, alright! Sick man recuperating in here," he yelled at the door. In voce sotto he added, "If this is a paperboy I'm biting him, chip or no chip."**

**Opening the door revealed Buffy and Dawn. On seeing him, the Bit suddenly looked stricken and he gave her a smile to show it wasn't as bad as it might have looked. Not having the benefits of a mirror, he didn't realize that fully half of his face was as dark as a ripe plum. Around the edges of the contiguous bruise, greenish-yellow haloed it. He looked awful even though he was feeling ninety percent better than the day before.**

"**Hey, Spike," Buffy said in greeting. "Sorry about waking you, again. But I want to be with Xander at the hospital. I was gonna take Dawn to the shop, but Giles said he's feeling a little under the weather. I guess he's trying to put off dealing with all the damage there. Do you think she could stay here for a while?"**

"**I want to go to the hospital," Dawn said. From the tone in her voice and by Buffy's expression, Spike could guess they'd been having this argument all morning.**

"**We talked about this, Dawn. You'll help Anya…lots, but right now I need you to cooperate."**

"**Isn't there school," Spike asked.**

"**I can't risk leaving her alone there. Not with Glory suddenly getting so aggressive," Buffy looked worried. "Look, Spike, if this is a problem…."**

"**No, no problem," Spike assured her. "Just curious. Thought we were concerned with 'following the routine' is all. If things change, it'd be nice if I got included in the memo."**

"**Well, Giles thinks we should be routining. I think he's wrong. As Dawn's guardian, I have veto power and I want her where I think she's safer. Right now, that's with you."**

"**I'll try to stay out of your way," Dawn said morosely. **

"**Not a problem," Spike again assured them. "You're always welcome to hang out with me, Half-Pint, you know that."**

**Dawn sighed as she walked to the guest bathroom. This left Spike looking at Buffy with one of his eyebrows in the air. It was nice he could manage it, he thought, since it proved that the swelling had gone down significantly. And again, it wasn't exactly something he could see for himself.**

"**She feels responsible for…," Buffy said quietly, using her hand to indicate his face. "I tried to tell her it's not her fault, but if you were protecting me, I'd guess I'd feel the same guilt."**

"**The Slayer feeling guilt for a few bruises to a vampire," Spike questioned with a smirk. He needed to lighten the mood with one Summers sister before he could deal with the other.**

"**For like, a fraction of a fraction of a second," she smiled at him. "Maybe."**

"**I'll talk to her. You'd better get moving," Spike said. "I'll take a look through Xander's fridge and see if there's anything for her that isn't growing mold."**

"**Thanks, Spike."**

"**I've been told I'm a Scooby now. If I understand things, it's like my duty now, yeah? Doesn't need thanking for. Especially since I feel like I owe you one for not staking me when I blurted out this infatuation with Xan I suddenly have."**

"**Which you still need to talk to him about, am I right?"**

"**Later. He's going to have his hands full with Anya. If you see the witches, tell 'em to stop by with their spell books. I'll help them sift through the possibilities."**

"**You know," Buffy said, "If you're not careful, your rep as a bad-ass killer-demon is going to be shot."**

**Spike grunted, "There are worse fates."**

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End Chapter 3


	4. Dark Magicks

**Battling with a God**

Ch 4 – Dark Magicks

**Tara crossed the open expanse of park toward one of the outer buildings on campus. She had Pottery 201 next and her mind was wrapped up in her term project. She'd decided to do a full facial bust of the goddess, Hera, and was mulling over options in her mind. She wasn't aware of how isolated she was, or that she was being followed until a strong hand on her shoulder whipped her around unexpectedly.**

"**Hello! Tara, isn't it? Now, would you be a Key, sweetie," Glory asked with a hard smile. It grew when she heard the witch gasp and saw her pale with fear.**

"**W-what do you want?"**

"**You know that, sweetie. 'B-but t-tell you w-what'," Glory mocked her stutter. "You tell me which little Superfriend it is, and I won't drain your brain."**

**Tara took a step back, but before her legs could completely get the message to run from her brain, Glory had grabbed hold of her hand. With a squeeze, Tara both felt and heard bone crack. She cried out, but her mind was too distracted by the sudden impulse to throw up to grab a spell from memory.**

"**P-please…stop! I don't know about any Key!"**

**Glory sighed in mock sadness. "That's too bad, cupcake. Well, let's see what you taste like, alright? Even if you're not my precious, I'm sure you'll be a good buzz."**

"**Mico," Tara yelled, while raising her other hand. A flash of bright white light erupted from her palm, dazzling Glory directly to the eyes.**

"**Ow! You rude, little witch," she complained, pushing Tara hard to the ground.**

**She landed awkwardly and felt a pain up her arm from her elbow joint. Beginning to cry now, she focused her mind on Willow.**

_**Willow! Help me! Glory….**_

**Her thought-cast was cut short when she was unceremoniously hauled off of her back and held above Glory's head.**

"**Not nice, Girlie. Not nice at all," the god scowled.**

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**In their room, Willow heard Tara's thoughts as if she had stepped next to her ear and spoke. They were full of pain and panic and when she'd heard the name Glory, she'd jumped to her feet and ran.**

_**Please, God, please…let me make it!**_

**She had just entered the clearing nearly out of breath in time to see Tara being thrown a good ten feet or more. The other witch lay unmoving. Glory was wiping away some dark residue from her face and Willow recognized that Tara had tried a spell. Now her girl was lying on the lawn, face in the grass and as still as if she were dead.**

**Willow screamed.**

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"**I don't understand this," Xander began raising his voice. "If you've given her the consult then what's the problem?"**

"**Sir, we just feel that Anya would get better care here under our watch. She seems to be having problems with recognizing reality," the doctor stated with feigned patience.**

"**She isn't going to be helped by being surrounded by more nuts."**

**The psychiatrist on staff sighed. "Sir, we prefer to say their emotionally unstable."**

"**I don't give a damn. She's not staying here," he huffed at the sanctimonious bastard. Next to him, Buffy glared daggers toward the doctor.**

"**And being stared at by strangers can't be helpful either," she threw out. "At least with Xander, she'll be surrounded by people who care for her. And the familiar surroundings may help her."**

"**I'm not sure you understand the magnitude of the care she'll require. She cannot be left alone for any amount of time. You'll need to even go with her when she uses the facilities to ensure she doesn't hurt herself. And there have been times overnight when she's become manic and had to be sedated. Honestly, we can care for her much easier here," the doctor insisted.**

"**When my mom was suffering from a brain tumor, she went through the same thing," Buffy said. "I coped. We can do this."**

"**Look, Doctor," Xander said in a tone that brooked no more argument. "I'm signing her out. As the one who has power of attorney for her, I'm insisting you release her into my custody. So help me, if I have to go through the expense of a lawyer…."**

**He and Anya had never gotten around to talking about this sort of thing. Fortunately, Giles had somehow been able to falsify the necessary documents to lead the hospital staff into believing that Xander had the right to make decisions for her in this sort of event.**

"**Very well," he scowled while a hand nervously patted down the front of his expensive suit. "However, I will place on her chart that this is being done against medical advice."**

"**You do that," Xan sneered.**

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"**I am so, so sorry, Spike," Dawn was saying, teary eyed. "You guys should just turn me over to her!"**

"**Hey, hey…don't talk like that. This isn't your doing, Bit."**

"**Yes it is! And so is Buffy being beat up and Anya being driven insane. This is all me! Spike, I…I must be something so awful for things to keep happening to the people I love." Her tears spilled over and flowed down her cheeks. "What if…what if I caused mom's tumor? What if this Key energy is dangerous for people?"**

"**That's rot."**

"**How do you know!? Look around, all I do is bring pain and suffering to everyone around me!"**

"**Now, you listen to me, Dawn. I'm a vampire…soulless and damned. I've been shedding the blood of the innocent for over a century, now. I think I know evil when it comes up and hugs me. You are not evil, kiddo. You're not even 'little bit bad,'" he said kindly.**

"**M-maybe I'm not evil, but…but I don't think I can be good?"**

"**Well, good is overrated, anyway. Look at me, you don't think I'm too bad off and I sure ain't pure, right?"**

"**I'm so afraid, Spike," she said sounding as young as she really was. "I don't think I can stand it if Glory kills anyone trying to find me. I just…I don't think I can take it," she collapsed against his chest and sobbed.**

"**She ain't killing anyone. And before you know it, Buffy will have kicked her ass and she'll be just another story you can't tell anyone. Actually, we should write a damned book…be a bestseller and we'd be rich for life," Spike said while patting her back. "This will blow over, Dawn. It looks a little grim, now, but I'll heal and Anya will get better. And you can help. When the witches get here, you can help me find the spell that's gonna turn Anya back into her money-loving , ultra-capitalist, Willow-annoying self, okay? She'll be back to insulting me in no time. We're going to get through this. Your sis? She tends to win in these sorts of things."**

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**Glorificus turned toward the sound that erupted across the empty field as she continued to wipe some sort of magical soot from her face. It burned just a little and she hoped it wasn't going to ruin her dress. She'd just bought the silk, jade green garment recently and she was going to be one pissed godling if that stupid cow messed it up.**

"**Well, if it isn't the lover."**

"**Get away from her," Willow warned, already calling on a spell from the dark manuscript she'd just been studying. Her eyes rolled black and she felt a current of darkness flow up from the ground through her feet.**

**Glory only laughed gaily at her. "That's so cute! Oh, wait…actually it's kind of rude. I was a little busy here, but since your slut has taken a dirt nap, I guess I can waste a few minutes with you."**

**As Glory began marching toward Willow, now fifteen feet from her, she saw the witch levitate off the ground. She rolled her eyes. **_**Oh, pule-e-ase. As if that's going to impress anyone… amateurs.**_

"**It's about time somebody taught you a lesson," Willow said, her voice oddly distorted. She barely noticed the veins begin to bulge on her arms.**

"**Uh-huh. I'm so going to enjoy this."**

"**I doubt it. 'By Nxy and Moros, by Oizys and Nemisis; By Cassiel's dark star, hold mine victim as in tar; hold her bound, her movements- retard," Willow intoned.**

**Glory found herself suddenly unable to walk, a dense field in the air surrounding her. She grimaced, more pissed than disturbed. It felt kind of like being surrounded inside a marshmallow.**

"**I owe you pain!" Willow's arms stretched forth and black lightning flowed from the Earth below her feet. It wrapped around her legs and danced up her body before streaming through her arms to her hands. Her palms itched and she smiled icily. The lightning shot out across the expanse between the two women and Glory screamed and clutched at herself as the electricity arced around her body, shredding her clothing and smudging her skin.**

**Willow poured on as much power as she could stand, but in far too brief a time, she felt herself weaken and drift back to the ground. Still, the witch was sure she'd just defeated the Hellgod as she'd heard her cry out in pain. She was just clearing her head when Glory clapped her hands together, giving her applause. Willow felt the blood drain from her face; she just couldn't believe what she was seeing. She'd expected Glory to fall over after that blast; it sure had nearly felled her while trying to channel it.**

"**Not bad. That actually kinda hurt a bit. Now it's my turn," she said. Balling up a fist, Glory lashed out and the field that Willow had held her in collapsed in a flash of light.**

"**Grass to snakes, they now appear; Hissing, coiling, striking near," Willow whispered.**

**From the lawn of the field, blades of grass shifted and merged. Blending and morphing, several writhing serpents formed from the greenery. Glory heard the commotion from the ground around her and glanced at her feet. As she took notice of the magic around her some of the serpents coiled around her calves. Others struck out, biting her ankles or spitting venom on her skin.**

"**Snakes never work, sweetie. Believe me, I learned that lesson myself," she said as she yanked her feet forward. The magical beasts snapped and vanished in a haze of color, leaving the original blades of grass to fall to the ground.**

"**So, anything else, Red?"**

**Glory continued her march toward Willow while the red head circled around to keep some distance between them. At the same time she was placing herself between Tara and the Beast. Tara continued to lie unmoving under the sun.**

**Willow focused her willpower, not needing spells anymore for some telekinesis. She let loose with a stream of force, but when it reached Glory it felt like it simply slipped around her. Her tattered clothing and hair ruffled, but she appeared entirely unaffected.**

"**Now that was just pathetic," the Hellgod spat at her. "Honestly, this fight is going to take about 1 minute once I reach you."**

"**Then you won't reach me," Willow said. Drawing a breath and concentrating, she muttered, "Traho of orbis terrarum est rescinded."**

**Glory let out an amusing yelp of surprise as she found local gravity distorted. She floated nearly a foot above the ground, waving her hands and feet. She was not amused.**

"**Oh, I'm going to so get you for this!"**

**Willow just ignored her, rushing to Tara's side. She felt for a pulse, just as the blonde opened her eyes.**

"**Owie," she said. **

"**It's okay, baby, I'm here now," Willow said, stroking her forehead.**

"**Glory!"**

"**She's not a problem."**

"**Oh, I wouldn't say that," Glory said from over Willow's shoulder. "Getting a little weak, Hun? 'Cause you're looking a little tapped out."**

**Willow yelled in surprise as Glory hauled her up by the neck. "Let's see what sort of incantation you can do after I've ripped out your tongue."**

**In the meantime, Tara had been able to regain her feet. Grabbing Willow's dangling hand tightly, she muttered, "Let Hoder's veil now descend!"**

**Instantly, Glory dropped Willow as her eyesight failed her. The world, for her, went to darkness. Tara dragged Willow away from the Beast, for she already knew the spell wouldn't last long.**

"**Okay, that was cute," Glory said, obviously not seeing them yet. "But I'm gonna see how you like it when I poke your frickin' eyes out!"**

"**Just die you bitch," Willow yelled in frustration. Summoning the last of her magical energy she tried a last spell that she hoped would do the trick. According to the Dark Tome of Shaarad Doom, it was really meant for steel…swords, axes and even the armor of an enemy. Will figured they had little to lose. Winging the incantation just slightly, she muttered, "Let flesh be no more!" **

**From Tara she drew energy to supplement her own as the blonde gasped in shock.**

**The effect was dramatic. Glory screamed again, this time even louder than she had before. She batted at her skin as if she were covered in stinging bees and ran. Taking off for the dense line of trees surrounding the college campus, her flight seemed random as she continued batting at her self.**

**Willow didn't have the chance to celebrate the minor victory, or to see the effect she'd had. She immediately fell hard to the ground, blood flying from her nose and ears as tiny blood vessels throughout her body burst. **

**Next to her, Tara was conscious but feeling like she'd been hit atop the head with a steel beam. It was even worse than when her and Will tried to teleport Glory from the hospital when she was threatening Dawn. By the time she was finally able to clear her head enough to realize her nose was bleeding, she was more concerned about Willow, who wasn't moving.**

**Shaking the red head and calling her name, she found Will unresponsive. Blood was pooling on the cleft of her upper lip before sliding in thick drops down the side of her face.**

"**Oh, goddess, oh goddess, please Will…. C'mon baby, please wake up," Tara cried over the still form. "Don't do this!"**

**Grabbing her cell phone from her skirt's pocket, she dialed 9-1-1. It wouldn't be until the arriving paramedics pointed it out that she'd remember and notice the pain in her hand from Glory's crushing grip.**

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End Chapter 4


	5. Guilt & Despair

**Battling with a God**

Ch 5- Guilt & Despair

**Buffy was riding shot gun in Xander's Taurus when her cell phone rang. In the back seat, Anya was singing a nonsense song about flowers and bunnies and who knew what all. Xander sat next to her navigating the car; tight lipped and angry. Between them in a bag on the seat were at least five different pill prescriptions to help Anya stay calm. It was so much like taking care of Joyce that Buffy felt short of breath.**

"**Yeah… oh… oh, no…no…," she said as she listened to the voice on the other end. Xander recognized they were about to receive more bad news. He pulled the car to the shoulder and placed it in park, allowing the motor to idle. Reaching out one hand, he took Buffy's other as she continued acknowledging the person on the other end. A few moments later and she had closed the cell phone and her eyes against the bad news.**

"**Glory, again?" Xander asked, but he wasn't really sure he wanted to know.**

"**We need to turn around…or wait; we'll take Anya home first. Spike and Dawn can make her comfortable. Then we need to go back to the hospital. Willow and Tara have been hurt. Giles says that Will is in a light coma."**

"**Jesus. Were they…will we need to take care of them too, like Ahn?"**

**Buffy shook her head in the negative. "Tara told Giles that Willow was able to drive her off with some pretty powerful mojo. That's what's causing Will's coma. It looks like Tara's hand has several broken bones and her elbow was wrenched, but she's okay."**

"**Okay, then," Xander sighed and sounding exhausted. "We'll deal with Anya first, then go back. I don't suppose Glory will be convinced to go away?"**

"**I wouldn't count on it," Buffy sighed. A single tear slid down her face. "We can't beat her. I don't know what we're going to do, but we can't fight her."**

**As they passed through the center of town, both of their eyes were drawn to the boarded up door and window of the Magic Box. Neither chose to comment, but they both felt the dark shadow of hopelessness trying to choke them.**

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**In the woods near the U.C. Sunnydale campus, Ben stood barely dressed in green tatters. The pain he was in was considerable. He felt like his body was covered in open burns, yet when he had looked himself over in a panic, he found no signs of injury. He wanted to ask what had happened, but that wasn't how things worked with his 'sister' and there were none of her imps close to hand to interrogate. **

**As he began to make his way through the thick woods, he wondered how long he'd been gone this time. Glory was taking over more and more often and staying longer. He could almost feel her impatience to return home permeating him, and that had never happened before. Ben never felt or had an inkling of anything that happened while she was in control. He was suddenly, for the first time, afraid that someone might actually kill her. Something had happened to her and he was feeling the pain; what would happen to him if she was actually killed?**

"**Something's changed," he whispered to himself. **_**Her timetable is coming up. I can feel it. If she's getting home she has to do it soon. What will happen to me? What will it mean if she fails? Will she go away then; can I finally be free? Or will she destroy everyone around her in a rage? How many can she hurt and kill and destroy in her fury? But if she does it, if she finds the Key and goes home, will that mean I'll die? There has to be a way to get her home that doesn't involve hurting anyone, including Dawn and myself. Oh, God…can I make a deal with her? Should I turn Dawn over to the dwarves, after all? Is there any way to save myself?**_

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**When Buffy and Xander had reached the apartment, they'd found Spike online at some arcane site or another. Dawn was busy making sandwiches.**

"**Hey, guys," she said reservedly. Her puffy lids were testament that she'd done some crying recently. "Hi, Anya."**

**Dawn came up and gently hugged the woman as Anya stared off into space. She remained silent and didn't react to Dawn in any way.**

**Next came a hug from Buffy, but Dawn's attention remained fixed on Anya. "I'm sorry, Anya…I'm so sorry," she said. But Anya showed no signs of hearing her.**

"**What's up, Spike," Xander asked. "I see you're walking around, so that's a good."**

"**Xan, Buffy…" Spike acknowledged without turning around. The website appeared to be in some form of foreign language involving lots of squiggles.**

"**We're looking for a way to help Anya," Dawn told them quietly. "There has to be a spell or something. Spike is looking at some Sanskrit website. I really want Will and Tara to bring over the books so I can help. I really need to help," Dawn said imploringly.**

**Buffy sighed. "Dawn, we need you and Spike to watch over Anya, okay? We have to go back to the hospital."**

"**No," Dawn shook her head, looking stricken. "No, what did she do now? Who have I hurt now?"**

**Instantly Spike was behind her, laying a cool and powerful hand protectively on her shoulder. **

"**This isn't your fault, Dawn," Xander said. "You hear me? This isn't caused by you. And the girls will be okay."**

"**The girls? Willow and Tara? Were they both hurt," she said with welling eyes.**

"**They're okay, Dawnie," Buffy tried to assure her. The look on her face said that clearly nothing was okay right now, however.**

"**How bad is it," Spike asked. "Dawn will find out anyway and it's best to get things on the table."**

"**Willow's in a coma… it's a light one, she may even be awake by the time we get there," Xander said, ignoring the gasp of pain from Dawn. "Tara's hand was broken, but no one's mind was…raped..., whatever you call it."**

"**Willow…Tara…." Dawn said. She tried to come up with something to say, something other than she was sorry because that wasn't helping anyone. She came up with nothing. They were all putting their lives and more on the line for her and all she was doing was crying and whining. **

**Dawn wiped at her eyes and straightened her shoulders. "Okay. Buffy, we need their spell books to research. At the same time, we should find someplace more secure to hide. Maybe we can leave Sunnydale? There's got to be a place where she can't find me just until it's too late for her to open this door she's interested in."**

"**Dawn, we don't even know if there is a time limit," Buffy pointed out.**

"**There is, Buffy. I ****know**** it. I can feel it. A deadline is coming up. Don't ask me how I know, but I do."**

"**I'll talk to Giles. He wanted to keep you here because the Hellmouth is keeping Glory from noticing that you're the Key," Buffy told her gently. "But it looks like this isn't going to stay a safe place, anyway. Especially if you really are right; she's going to be desperate to get her hands on you. That's going to make her even more dangerous."**

"**We'll also have to deal with the Knights, once we leave the town's limits," Xander reminded them. "They'll be able to use their spells to detect her."**

"**Maybe not," Spike said. "Maybe I can locate a shielding spell of some sort. We could really use the witches and, much as I hate admitting it, the Watcher on this though."**

"**Speaking of which," Xander said, "Buffy, we gotta get to the hospital."**

"**Dawn, it's important you stay with Spike. No running off, you got it," Buffy said.**

"**Y-yeah…yeah, I won't go anywhere. Do you think Anya's hungry? I'm making a late lunch."**

"**Why don't you try to see if she'll eat anything," Xander squeezed her shoulder. Then he and Buffy turned around and left again. Anya had wandered to the couch and sat staring at her reflection in the blank television screen. Though her eyes remained fixed and inanimate, a single teardrop fell down her cheek.**

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**By the time that they'd reached the hospital again, Willow had opened her eyes. She'd had a little magical help from Tara, once the doctor's were out of the room. She was groggy and said that she'd felt like a cement truck had run over her, but she was reactive and lucid.**

**Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they surrounded her bedside, except Giles. He was quiet and everyone could feel the tension rolling off of him. Once he knew that Willow was going to be alright, he excused himself and nearly barreled out of the door.**

"**I think, maybe he's mad at me," Willow said.**

"**No, sweetie, he's just worried. The spells you used…they could have killed you," Tara squeezed her hand with her good one. The other was surrounded in a cast while the elbow had been wrapped tightly with a gauze bandage.**

"**At least you hurt her, Will," Buffy said. "It's more than I've managed to do so far." She blew out a lungful of air in frustration. "Maybe it's time I turned in my Slayer stakes and learned to knit or something."**

"**How's Anya," Tara asked Xander, trying to preempt the feelings of despair that were becoming apparent in the little room.**

"**I'm not sure. She's home…that's the important thing. Spike and Dawn are looking for some way to help her. Uh, they're hoping you might be able to come over for a research session later."**

"**Yeah, of course. I think I may be able to help," Tara replied. "If I map out, maybe I can find a way to reverse what Glory stole."**

"**No fair," Willow said weakly from her bed. "Don't do the cool magic without me. I'm ready to get signed out."**

"**You don't look ready to me, honey. Besides, they want to keep you overnight to make sure you don't relapse into a coma. You really had me scared, you know."**

"**Listen to your girl, Will," Xander said. "You should just rest overnight and leave the heavy lifting to us for awhile, okay?"**

"**I just feel so badly. I'm sorry, Buffy…you needed me to stop her for good and I wasn't strong enough," Willow said, near tears.**

"**Are you kidding? Willow, you hurt her. No one's been able to do that, yet. You made her back off. Don't be feeling sorry. She's a god."**

"**Which is what I keep trying to remind you," Xander pointed out. "No one should be feeling bad for not stopping her, here. We just need to dig a little deeper. There's a way to stop her…there's always a way. We'll find it."**

"**I'm worried about Giles," Tara said suddenly. "He really seemed very upset when we were waiting to see if Will was going to be okay. You don't think he'd do something dangerous, do you?"**

"**Giles? Nah, he's a Watcher through and through. He'll go home, have tea and then put us to work with more books," Xander tried to lighten the mood just a little bit.**

"**Well, I just hope he gives us a book that actually has something useful," Buffy lamented.**

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**In Giles' apartment, all of the lights were turned out. Across from him in his bedroom sat the hidden chest, holding the 'Book of Midnight'. His concentration did not waver from the chest, even as he sipped at the scotch in his hand. **

**He had been praying for some answer; some insight into Glory…some miracle. It wasn't something that he did often. Though he knew there were forces out there just as concerned with good as with evil, they always seemed to be so remote. Evil tended to come up and shake one's hand, just before tearing it off. The forces of Good tended to expect you to blunder on with faith that they'd step in behind the scenes if necessary. **

**And people paid the price for their acting so indirectly. Anya… Tara… Willow… Jenny… how many more? And when would it be Buffy's turn? He took two large swallows of the scotch before refilling his glass again in the kitchen. He returned to the bed and sat staring at the chest again, until Buffy's knock at his front door interrupted his brooding…and considering.**

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End Chapter 5


	6. Seeking

**Battling with a God**

Ch 6 – Seeking

**Buffy strode into Giles' apartment as he opened the door. Her face was a mask of concern as she spotted his tumbler of amber liquid.**

"**How are Willow and Tara," he said dully. He knew they were okay, he'd been there.**

"**The same. We were lucky that Will has so much power."**

"**She was damned lucky. I should have watched her more closely; if I had known she was sneaking the dark arts books…."**

"**I know, but at least she had an advantage that saved her and Tara. The last thing we need is another Anya. Giles, we can't go on like this."**

"**You think I'm not aware of that!" He turned his face from hers, embarrassed at the outburst.**

"**Well, this isn't going to help either," she said calmly. She took the glass from him and walked to the kitchen sink to dump its contents. "Call London, Giles. Tell them that we can't find a way to fight Glory. Tell Travers that I'm going to get beaten and we think that Glory may be close to figuring out where the Key is. Tell him that I haven't been able to locate it myself. Give him the idea that she's going to succeed and the Slayer can't go fist to fist with her. Maybe that will panic him enough for the Council to start a little thinking outside of the box.**

**And stop drinking. You're cut off until we win against Glory," she said with an air of authority.**

"**Y-yes, alright…I'll call the Council," he stammered. She was growing into such a strong woman, such a strong Slayer. He remembered when he had to take a firm hand with her to get her to concentrate on her duty. Now, the tables had been reversed. He felt a little ashamed that he'd allowed himself to falter. "Of course, I'll call you later and we will decide what to do next. In the meantime, i-if we need to run, you should start packing clothing for yourself and Dawn."**

"**And the gang…. I'm not leaving them here, Giles. We don't know what Glory will do when she finds out they knew who the Key was and lied to her. If leaving Sunnydale is the only way to keep Dawnie safe, then we all go. But I'm really hoping the Council gives us another option," she said on her way out of the door.**

**Giles picked up the phone to call London, but his mind was very much on the only hope they may have. Was he strong enough to tap the power waiting in his closet, or would it only destroy him and all he held dear?**

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**Back at Xander's apartment, Spike was reading through a Latin spell book that Tara had dropped on the table. She had yanked every book in her room, with the exception of the Doom manuscript, and piled them into her car before rushing over to Xander's. **

**Xander, himself, was currently in the kitchen heating up soup and buttering slices of bread. He still intended on getting Chinese food later, but this would hold them for awhile.**

**Dawn remained in the bathroom. She'd been in there for fifteen or twenty minutes according to Spike. Anya had come out of her stupor, briefly, in front of the television. Just long enough to slap Dawn and tell her some nonsense about her being a counterfeit gem.**

**Tara walked over to Anya and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She sat placidly with half closed lids and watched disinterestedly as a nature program on gardening played sedately on the screen.**

"**I had to give her a pill," Spike told her as she returned to the table. "She was becoming a bit too manic." He yelled across the room, "Dawn! C'mon, we've got work to do…no slacking in there!"**

"**I'm sure she's upset," Tara admonished mildly.**

"**And she'll stay that way, unless she feels like we expect her to pull her own weight. Feeling useful will do her a world more better than crying in the restroom."**

**Tara's response was interrupted by Dawn opening the door and coming out. She'd run a cold rag over her face and though she was obviously still upset, her eyes held determination. When she sat at the table, her voice was strong and assured.**

"**Which one do I start with?"**

"**Here, Dawn…this one is in English…mostly. This was my great-grandmother's book. She used to do a lot of potions and stuff for people back in the day. Mostly to treat 'nerves' or attacks by 'phantasms', but there may be something we can modify."**

**Xander served soup, bread and glasses of milk, except for Spike. He had another mug of warm blood, which they barely noticed anymore. Even when he grabbed half of Xander's buttered bread to dip.**

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**Several hours had passed. In the meantime, Anya had thankfully fallen into a deep, medicated sleep on the sofa. She snored loudly causing some smiles and laughing. **

**Buffy had arrived in the meantime and when dinner time came around, she had gone out and gotten the food. Now she was going through a thick book with a green cover. Her mind was only half on what they were researching…she kept thinking about her mom and worrying about Giles not being where she could see him.**

**Her phone rang and she was relieved to see Giles' number. She was really hoping that he had something for her. Tara was on a promising lead regarding Anya's recovery, but as for fighting Glory…it all ended up in the same place. With Buffy eventually getting her ass kicked and Dawn ending up being 'utilized'; none of their magic was going to be enough to stop her. It was just luck that she hadn't already busted down Xander's door and killed them all.**

"**Buffy, I need you to meet me outside of Xander's. I'm on my way and will be there inside of ten minutes," he said excitedly.**

"**You have something?"**

"**The Council gave me a ritual. One that they apparently don't share often with Watchers in the field, however, they became far more cooperative when they realized that we weren't getting anywhere."**

"**What is it?"**

"**You and I have to go to a sacred spot in the desert. We're going to seek advice from a Guardian…an entity that exists outside of time. Hopefully it will be able to tell you how to go about stopping Glory," he said breathlessly.**

"**Giles…I don't know if I can do that. I don't want to leave Dawn."**

"**Buffy…" Giles started, but was cut off by Dawn's voice echoing through his earpiece.**

"**Go, Buffy," he heard. "If this will help you, you have to go."**

"**Listen, Dawn…hold on, Giles," the rest of the conversation for him was cut off as Buffy hit the mute button. **

**In Xander's dining room, Buffy looked at her sister. "Dawn, I'm afraid to leave you here unprotected."**

"**Uh-hum, what am I…chipped beef," Spike asked.**

"**Giles is talking about some ritual, I don't even know how long this is going to take," Buffy complained. "And not to be too insulting when you're down, but you don't look exactly ready to fight yet, Spike."**

"**That's why we're here," Tara said. "We can watch out for Dawn. If Giles has a lead, it would be dangerous not to follow up on it, whatever it is."**

**Buffy sighed and looked again at Dawn, who simply nodded at her. Hitting the mute button and putting her phone back to her ear she told Giles that she'd meet him in front of the building.**

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**When Buffy got into Giles' sporty car, he stepped on the gas and made a U-Turn that nearly had her flying out of the car.**

"**Geez, who are you and where did you put my fuddy-duddy-driver-Giles?"**

"**Please, Buffy, do be serious. We need to be in the right frame of mind if this is going to work."**

"**Okay, so…what is the hoopla?"**

"**We're going to a place on the border of Sunnydale. While I'm casting a sacred circle and doing some, uh, well…it's actually ridiculous if I say it aloud. Let's just say I have to do a little dance and, um, shake a gourd. Stop smirking!"**

"**Smirk? Me?"**

"**I can feel it. Anyway, while I'm making a royal ass out of myself, you'll be wandering into the desert until you see your spiritual guide. They'll lead you the rest of the way."**

"**Would this guide happen to look like a buzzard? 'Cause I'm not down with following along, if so. And I don't suppose you thought to bring water while I'm out wandering?"**

"**I'm afraid the Slayer must go without provisions, to show a sense of humble trust in the Powers. I, however, am aloud to have juice."**

"**Watchers always get the better bargain."**

"**Yes, well…anyway, I'm afraid I can't tell you what the guide will look like. It will lead you to a place which you are never to mention again, not even to me. There, another being…the one which I spoke of outside of time, will meet you. Hopefully, it will know something about how to stop Glory from opening her doorway." **_**Something that doesn't involve us having to end Dawn's…existence, **_**he thought but didn't share. **

"**Another thing, Buffy, you must be careful to remember everything that is said. Sometimes these esoteric beings can be a little…unclear. I'll try to help you sort through things if you can relate what was said without mentioning the sacred place itself. And do try to appear humble and deferential; they can also be rather prickly during these things."**

"**Hey, I'm humble-o-gal if they can help me protect my sister."**

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End Chapter 6


	7. Darkness Falls

**Battling with a God**

Ch 7 – Darkness Falls

**The sun was midway to the western horizon and beating down as Giles pulled off of the road. Buffy exited the vehicle as he began to rummage around in the trunk. **

**The glare was a killer and waves of blurry heat danced above the tarmac. There was the slightest hint of a breeze, but it only seemed to make the air hotter. Which was weird…it wasn't even spring yet and Sunnydale had been rather cool. She took off her coat and followed Giles off into the desert.**

"**I hope my car will be okay out here."**

"**Want I should ask my Guardian to check on it while I'm at it," she asked facetiously. "What the hell is up with the heat out here?"**

**Giles raised an eyebrow at her; his coat remaining firmly buttoned against what he perceived as cold ambient temperatures. "Interesting," was all he had to say.**

"**How far do we have to walk, do you think?"**

"**Oh, I should imagine over a dune or two should be far enough for me. Goodness, but these things are becoming rather heavy," he commented.**

"**Interesting," was all she had to say as she pointedly did not offer to share the burden.**

"**Well, honestly, you do have Slayer strength, Buffy. A little help would be appreciated."**

"**Y-yeah…but I don't think I'm supposed to, Giles." In answer to his disbelieving glance, she insisted. "No, really. I-I feel something…we have our roles to play in this."**

**Buffy's dreamy tone was so striking that Giles sharply looked at her. He recognized the glazed look of someone beginning to slip into a light trance and felt a shiver run up his spine.**

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"**Look at this," Tara said, breaking the silence around the research-slash-dining table.**

**When the others looked, all they saw was a series of lines. It looked like some sort of graph, but its X and Y axis were skewed and unlabeled.**

"**Uh, that's very nice Tara," Xander said. "We'll put it on the fridge for all the other kids to see."**

**She giggled at him, her reply being pre-empted by Spike.**

"**It's a spirit-graph, you nitwit. Glory and our demon girl?"**

"**Yes, exactly. I've been using a bit of astrology to map out Anya's mind-body connection…her living spirit, if you will."**

**Xander looked at both of them blankly.**

"**Her 'katra'," Dawn suggested, immediately receiving a look of understanding from Xander.**

"**Oh, no 'Bit! Don't tell me he's corrupted you with that Sci-Fi garbage," Spike grinned at her.**

"**What? Spock is cool."**

"**So, Tara," Xander said, bringing the discussion back on topic. "You're saying you've been able to 'map out' Anya's…what? Her sanity?"**

"**That's exactly it. I've followed Anya's living spirit, her mind's energy. And then I crossed that with a reading of Glory's. Using the solar cycles for each day starting with the morning of the day of Anya's attack right through the rest of the month and into April, I've been able to trace out their paths around each other. See this? You can see that they start at separate points that day. By the next morning, they're in tandem."**

"**That's 'cause Anya's sanity was…I don't know…absorbed," asked Dawn.**

**Tara acknowledged this was so. "But here's the interesting thing: they stay in tandem all the way until here…this would refer to around sunrise on April 2****nd****," she said.**

"**The lines are crossing over each other," Spike pointed out and translated. "You think we've got a chance of getting Anya back on that day?"**

"**I'd say that's our best shot," Tara nodded.**

"**That's only days away," Xander said nervously. **

"**Wait," Dawn pointed out, "Why does Anya's line end soon after that, but Glory's just gets kinda…wiggly."**

"**Oh…uh…." Tara started, before looking away from the eyes staring at her.**

"**That's when Anya's sanity is gone forever," Xander guessed. "If we don't rescue her by then, she'll always be…she won't come back to us."**

"**I'm sorry, Xander," Tara said sympathetically.**

"**You did good, White Wicca," Spike insisted. "You've given us a timetable. Do you think this mapping thing can come up with a way to do the restoration?"**

"**Not exactly," she said excitedly, "But I'm sure that this spell I found will do the trick. It'll be hard, though and I need to get close enough to them to touch them at the same time. But we can do it… ****I'm sure**** we can. We can get her back. And maybe it'll, I don't know, make Glory confused the way Anya is right now. I just wish I knew who else she's hurt like this. Maybe I could help them all at the same time."**

"**Not even somebody as sweet as you can save everyone, luv. But if you can cause her to lose her marbles, that could really help Buffy and I when we take the Big Lady on," Spike nodded.**

"**So, how do we get close enough to her to do the mojo? Without her killing you before you have a chance to breathe," Xander directed at Tara.**

**No one really had an answer to that at first. But then Tara suddenly remembered.**

"**Willow may be able to come up with something," Tara sounded hopeful. "She was able to hold Glory still when she tried to attack me. That may be enough."**

**The gang around the table smiled. On the sofa, Anya started crying. **

"**It's almost time! I need to be with the goddess," she whimpered to herself as she rocked on the sofa.**

"**Do you think we can throw in a 'cause pain' spell when we do it," Dawn asked darkly.**

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"**Are you sure," Gregor Kossimo asked Orlando and Antonio aboard the yacht the Knights were using.**

"**Yes," Orlando said. "Dante is…confused…but he is making a strange sort of sense. It explains perfectly why all of our enchantments on every tomb and magic item in the Slayer's shop aren't revealing the Key's location. It's a person!"**

"**That will make it ever harder to locate," Sandor said. "It will no doubt be echoing a soul to confuse our locator spells."**

"**No, I don't think so," Antonio replied. "I don't know why we didn't think of this before."**

"**What is it, Antonio? Speak," the Knight's General commanded.**

"**In the hospital, Brother Papillion was attracted to the nurse's hair. She had long, straight brown locks. We'd thought he was just being…well…. Anyway, I believe she reminded him of the Key's new form."**

"**And who around the Slayer has such bangs," Sandor asked the assembled warriors.**

"**Sandor, get with your counterpart. We'll need magical support. It's time we took this war to the Slayer. I want her sister dead," General Kossimo said coldly. **

**He was simmering with anger that the monk's spells must have been playing with their minds this entire time. It was the only reason they would have not thought of something as obvious as the Slayer's family right off. The General pulled out the maps of Sunnydale and the surrounding area. The United States Authorities were still stopping them from trespassing on their territory. A full frontal assault would be stopped before they could reach their goal. Waiting for the Vatican to trudge through the tangle of red tape, with the Watchers Council's interference, could take far too long. Glory could bring about an armageddon while the bureaucrats continued squabbling amongst themselves.**

**He pulled Orlando to his side and began to talk strategy for the coming campaign.**

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**In the desert, Buffy wandered away from Giles' side. She could hear the faintest sound of whisperings on the wind, calling her name. **

**Giles had laid out a rough circular pattern with small twigs. Within this he had built a small fire, burning cedar chips and throwing saffron into the small flame. When he could smell the herb burning, he had begun a hop-scotch sort of dance around the circle. It could have been a Native American tribal dance, albeit, far less graceful. As he counted out his footsteps to get the dance exactly correct, he waved the gourd. First outside of the circle, he then placed it over the circumference of twigs and shook it over the flames before returning it outside of the circle.**

**Once he'd made a complete circuit around the circle, he'd placed a foot within it and shook it. Buffy hadn't been able to stop snickering.**

"**And they were called upon to perform the Mighty Hokey-Pokey Dance," she taunted.**

"**Go," Giles sighed as he began another circuit around the fire, "Quest away."**

**So Buffy had and now she found herself so far out in the desert, she couldn't even see the firelight wherever Giles was. In fact, there was nothing about except the slight breeze, the ridiculous heat (Giles was crazy, it was flippin' hot) and the stars. Darkness had fallen across the desert floor, but the moon had yet to rise. She felt her legs grow heavy, along with her eyelids and she stopped her wanderings.**

**Lying back in the comfortable sand, she gazed up through heavy lids at the beauty that was the desert sky. She felt at peace, as if all of her anxieties and fears had been left behind in the desert trek.**

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**In Glorificus' penthouse, there was a flurry of activities as her demon assistants rushed here and there. On the floor, surrounding a circle of sand sat Ginx and Grono. They had thrown a series of bones and small clay squares with unearthly alphabets upon them. They told the story; the time was very near now. Within the next week, they would be home and their God and Savior would shine with the horrible brightness of exploding suns. **

**In the meantime, there was so much to do. Glory had purchased dresses and jewels and paintings and shoes over the centuries of her confinement on this mortal plane. Now, all had to be sent here from their holding sites across the globe so that they could be ready to send through the portal before her.**

**Her Mighty Majestic One wasn't here at the moment, but the imps knew their duties and carried on as if her eyes were on them. They figured that Ben had probably re-emerged sometime either before or after she'd gone for the witch that was the next on her list. It didn't matter. When the time was right, Ben would be consumed and leave behind only Her Radiance. In the meantime, let the silly boy do what he would. The God would make sure he didn't run too far. In the meantime, Guar was at the hospital in case he showed up there while Guev and Granier looked about town. Not only for Ben though, but for the site of the tower that would need to be built. Already, all of Glory's converts were being prepared to gather in a central place and begin working on her edifice and bridge to the portal.**

**The penthouse nearly buzzed with pleasant excitement.**

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End Chapter 7


	8. Vision

**Battling with a God**

Ch 8 – Vision

**Buffy was being disturbed by something licking at her face. She reached out and pushed the offending (puppy, kitten) thing away and tried to roll over, but the (pet?) animal wouldn't leave her be. Opening her eyes with a groan, she issued a shriek when she found herself confronted by the large-toothed mouth of a sleek black panther. It growled softly at her and sat back on its haunches.**

"**Whoa, kitty-kitty," she said as she went to stand. "Where the heck am I?"**

**A moment later and her sleep fogged brain got with the program. **_**Oh, right…vision quest, Glory, answers…so this must be my guide to my uh…other guide.**_

"**So, uh…you're going to take me to see a Guardian, is that right?"**

**The panther only panted at her for a moment. When it deigned to move again, it turned its back to her. With a flick of its tail, it began to walk further away from the direction she thought Giles was waiting. **

_**Unless, of course, he got bored…or hungry…or worried about his stupid penis-mobile.**_** With a shrug she started following after the big cat, so clearly out of its natural element.**

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**Giles blew on his cold hands and wondered if he'd upset anything if he were to add a little more wood to the inadequate fire burning. Of course, the only wood lying around was what he'd used to outline his sacred circle, so that might not be a good idea. **

**He hunched down with a sigh and tried not to think of how freezing he was or how tired he was getting. He'd already walked back twice just to make sure his car hadn't been disturbed. It hadn't. He'd felt silly even as he walked back; it was highly unlikely that there would be any hooligans this far out in the middle of nowhere.**

**Buffy had already been gone for a little over two hours now, according to his watch. The moon was high in the sky, though it didn't shed much light. Above him, stars twinkled in the millions and he thought it might be breathtakingly beautiful if it was later in the season and warm. He rubbed his hands together and whispered out into the dark, "Take care of her. And, uh, if you could rush things along just a little…before I freeze to death."**

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**Out on the terrace, Xander took a deep breath of the night air. He could hear the distant sounds of traffic from Main Street. Behind him in the apartment, Anya was giggling to the antics of 'The Simpsons' on some cable station. If she was in her right mind, she'd be asking a million questions about whether they were immortal or just under a spell that kept the children from maturing. He smiled briefly, before swallowing back a bitter tear. He still loved her; he didn't want to see her stranded like this forever.**

_**Tara will rescue her, **_**Hyena thought at him.**

_**Hey! Where you been? I thought I was alone in my skull there for a minute.**_

_**I've been here. I just haven't had anything useful to say. Now that Spike is here and safe, anyway. I don't know what to do about a God.**_

_**Yeah. Yeah, I hear you, **_**he thought with worry. **_**Don't suppose you have access to a nuke, eh Commando?**_

**The soldier-persona remained silent. He hadn't been heard from in a while either, now that Xander thought about it.**

**Behind him the door opened and Spike joined him on the balcony. He lit up a cigarette. **_**He's probably been fiending all day, **_**Xander realized.**

"**I'm going to need more of these, soon. Or I'm going to be rather unpleasant to be around," Spike said, taking a drag.**

"**I'll take care of it," Xan told him. He blew out a sigh of air as he sank down onto one of the deck chairs. Spike took a quick scan out into the darkness of the city street and then joined him in the opposite seat.**

"**You look tired, Xan."**

"**It ain't just show. But I'll be okay. How's Dawnie?"**

"**She and the witch are talking to Willow. Sounds like she's threatening to throw some spells around if they don't let her out of there tomorrow."**

**They sat comfortably for several moments. Spike drew on his cigarette and blew smoke out into the air. Xander rested his eyes and tried not to plan on tomorrow. Hyena had grown quiet again, but he could feel her moving around under his skin. He wasn't sure whether to be grateful or worried that Commando guy seemed to be so incommunicado.**

_**Well, there's too much else to worry about right now.**_

"**So," Spike intruded on his quiet, "It's not the best time, I guess…."**

"**What? You want to get back to the crypt?"**

"**Not what I was thinking about, but yeah, sooner the better. I gotta get back before I lose the place. There are ****always**** demonic squatters too lazy to put their own little pad together. Not to mention it took forever to gather more than a few pairs of jeans that fit just right."**

**Xander snorted in amusement. "I can see that cemetery space would be at a premium."**

**The vampire just nodded his head, only half listening. "So, uh…."**

"**It's not like you to hesitate, Spike. If there's something on your mind, just spit it out already."**

**Spike took another deep, last drag off of his smoke. He ground the butt out against his boot and flicked it over the balcony wall.**

"**You kissed me," he said.**

**Xander swallowed over the sudden lump in his throat. His heart was thundering in his chest and that made it worse because he just knew that Spike was picking up every tell tale sign his body could broadcast. When he thought he could speak without his voice cracking like he was going through puberty again, he nodded.**

"**I did. If this is the part where you want to yell at me for being a 'knob polisher' or whatever the really nasty Brit version is, and storm out, go ahead," Xan said. "I'm pretty sure you can come up with something a little harsher than 'poof' and it looks like you can take care of yourself again, as long as you stay away from Hellgods."**

"**That wasn't what was on my mind. I'm just trying to figure out what it meant. Thought you were all boobies all the time; last I checked, I hadn't grown any yet."**

**Xander's reply was aborted when the door opened again and Dawn came out onto the balcony carrying two cups of coffee. "I thought you guys could use these. Or at least the human one of you," she smiled.**

"**Thanks, 'Bit. How's the red head?"**

"**Very snotty. I feel sorry for her nurses."**

"**Just as long as she doesn't really mojo them," Xand smiled.**

"**I think Tara put the kibosh on that. Unless they try to make her stay past tomorrow night, then all bets are off. So…I guess I'll just, uh, go back inside and let you two…talk," Dawn said with a sly smile and flounced back indoors. When she closed the apartment door between the terrace and inside, she pushed it extra firmly.**

"**Obviously, I'm not the only one who knows there's something about, huh," Spike said with a sideways glance.**

"**I might have had a very slight meltdown when I found out that Glory had you. Some things were said…embarrassing secrets came rushing out...little girls may have squealed."**

"**Uh-huh. So, what exactly is going on between us? And why does it suddenly make sense that Buffy was so eager for me to talk to you?"**

"**Look, Spike, I shouldn't have kissed you, okay? I'm sorry I crossed your personal space. You want to forget it, we can. You want to hurl insults, nothing's stopping you."**

"**You're regrettin' it then," Spike said. His tone of voice clearly stated that he had expected as much.**

"**I don't regret ****anything****. I don't know what you want me to say here. Give me a hint."**

"**I want you to tell me what that kiss was for. I'm trying not to take it as more than it was meant to be, you wanker."**

"**It's not that complicated. I like you; really like you. I love the way you move, the color of your eyes, the way you can go from killer demon protecting us to stroking Dawn's hair like she was brittle as a porcelain doll in two breaths. I like the way we can laugh together and how I know you have my back on patrol. I like that you've shocked the hell out of me and somehow despite everything that should be between a vampire and a mortal, somehow we've made things work, anyway. I like watching you become someone completely new and I want to be a part of it. I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you."**

**Spike sat back and lit up another cigarette while Xander re-closed his eyes. He was so tired, he wasn't even afraid that Spike knew anymore.**

**Finally Spike spoke again very quietly as if he wasn't sure he wanted Xander to hear him. "I like you, too. It's been…awhile…since I've trusted someone. I trust you. You don't mince words when I've crossed a line, and the devil knows you shouldn't have anything to do with me after…everything. I find you…interesting."**

"**So…you're not angry about the lips touching thing, then?"**

"**Not angry…might want you to do it again. Now that my mouth is in better shape to return it. I just don't know why you'd think I'd be pissed or that I'd berate you…thought friendship was supposed to cover that sort of thing."**

**Xander sighed, "I don't know. I just realized after I did it that if you were a person, and hey…not attracted to any other guys, this is totally about you. But if you were another guy, I wouldn't have done that. Another guy would've been free to punch my lights out; the only reason I kissed you is 'cause the worse you could do was yell a bit and storm out as soon as the leg was better. And I didn't even have the courage to let you do that much; ran out of the room as fast as I could before you could wind up and let me have it."**

"**I thought…maybe you were ashamed. I remember our talk after Drac…."**

"…**Not ashamed, Spike," he cut that sentiment off midstream. "Never ashamed…but I'm not ready to…. Uh, there's stuff I'm not ready for. Yet. I'm getting there, but, not yet."**

"**I ain't getting any older. We'll take it at your pace. But Xan, the gang? Giles?"**

**Xander nodded. "That might be a little rough for awhile. The gang likes you; they appreciate you, but they're worried. And I think Giles has raced past worried and right into angry."**

"**They don't trust me."**

"**Not completely. Not the way I do. The important thing though, is Buffy is on board."**

"**And if that ain't a miracle…."**

"**So," Xan gave him a tired grin, "Guess this would sort of make us 'boyfriends', then?"**

"**Don't be a geek," Spike smirked back.**

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**Buffy came over the rise of yet another hill. By this time, she was sure she'd have met the ocean but instead there was only more sand and scrub. And a fire. A roaring bonfire that should have lit up the whole sky with light, but somehow didn't. **

"**I know this place," she whispered.**

**In front of the fire, backlit by it was a tall, black woman. She was regal and proud, despite being wrapped in the horrible fashion faux pas of gauzy bandages that the First Slayer had worn.**

**Buffy frowned briefly. "You're not her; the one that attacked us in our dreams. Sineya's daughter?"**

"**We've taken this form from your heart. This one dwells there."**

**Buffy remembered the morning after she'd convinced the Slayer spirit to relinquish her friends. She'd felt sad for the woman; all alone…no family, no friends, not even her own name. She accepted the form this Guardian chose with a nod.**

"**You seek an answer. A battle which a Slayer was not meant to wage."**

"**And yet. It's not that I'm afraid to fight Glory, but so far I've been less than effective. She's threatening the people I… she is threatening my friends."**

"**And the sister who is more." Dawn's smiling face appeared in the flames behind the Guardian. "Why do you avoid saying 'those I love'?"**

"**I-I'm not sure. I…I feel like maybe I should keep those things bottled up? Like maybe, it helps if I stay closed off a little. I think…sometimes I think, maybe I've closed up too much. Xander says I have. My boyfriend left because I was. Dawn needed me and Cordelia, of all people, was the one that had to be there for her. Ever since my mom got sick or maybe before…I don't know." **

**Dracula stood in the flames, now, replacing Dawn. Buffy could hear his voice telling her about the darkness he felt in her.**

"**You fear what you are. You fear letting it get close to others."**

**Buffy nodded. **

"**Yeah, maybe. There's a lot of violence in here," she said pointing to her breastbone. In the fire behind the guardian, she saw herself deliberately slay the sad creature that Sandy had become. Not because she was a vampire, but because she'd touched Riley. It was jealousy and anger that had motivated that Slaying, not duty. She next saw herself pour gasoline on the defenseless paralyzed vampire and felt dirty and ashamed.**

"**Violence is a part of your heritage."**

"**But I don't want it to be all that there is, you know? Maybe that's why I can't beat Glory…maybe I'm not willing to unleash it? Maybe I'm afraid it's going to swallow me."**

"**You worried needlessly. Violence is only ****part**** of your heritage. The other, greater part is Love." **

**In the bonfire, images flashed by faster than she could keep up with and yet she knew each even with so fleeting a glimpse. Willow sipping water from the fountain, Xander stroking her forehead, Angel holding her in the cemetery, her holding Giles…Buffy felt tears welling up. It was like the love was a physical thing and it was always cushioning her; she just hadn't noticed in too long.**

"**Love? Love is part of being a Slayer?"**

"**If it was not for Love, you could not do what you do every night. You could not win against the darkness, for they know no Love; only destruction. Your foe will be beaten by this Love."**

"**Really?" For some reason, Buffy felt relieved. Stopping someone with love was way better than always having to use force. **_**Of course, that isn't answering the big question….**_

"**Uh…how exactly will love stop her?"**

"**Love will bring you to your gift."**

"**A gift? I'm not sure I understand, does someone I love have a gift to give me, or will I give a gift that someone else can use?"**

"**Death will be your gift."**

"**Death," Buffy's heart plummeted. She felt chills break out on her skin, gooseflesh rippling down her arms and legs. Mostly though, she felt disappointed. More violence, more killing….**

"**Death ****is**** your gift," the enigmatic woman stated firmly.**

"**Okay, I don't know where you usually live or whatever," she said angrily, "But death is no gift. I've lost…I've had so many friends die and my mom, too. I may need to do what I do to protect people, but killing is never a gift."**

"**Love, death, your gift," the woman's voice echoed as she faded away. Buffy found herself staring into empty night; the bonfire had departed along with the Guardian. From behind her came the loud mewl of the panther. As she turned she saw it looking over its shoulder at her and begin to pad away. She followed unhappily, not having found the answer she was hoping for.**

**After an even longer time, she was sure, than it had taken her to locate the Guardian in the first place she raised over a desert hill she recognized. Looking past her guide, she found her body lying curled in the sand, huddled against the chill. A brief gasp of surprise came from her and she looked at the panther for some sort of clue as to what to do now.**

**It gazed at her placidly with large yellow eyes. Actually, it kind of looked bored with her.**

**After a few moments of indecision, she crept up on her own prone figure. The entire sequence was surreal and she found herself almost afraid to touch herself, worried that she'd feel the cold flesh of a corpse. Finally, steeling herself, she reached out a hand to touch the still figure's face.**

**And woke up, lying in the sand. She sat up quickly and gazed around herself. There was no other Buffy, no panther guide and no footsteps but the track she'd originally taken when Giles had sent her out here.**

"**Wow. That was weird," she said in a hushed tone. And then she shrieked, "Damn, but it is flippin' freezing out here!"**

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**Ben sat in slightly dirty clothes in a small pub on the outskirts of the downtown district. In front of him he played with a mug of beer, only occasionally taking a sip. Mostly he just pushed the mug around in distracted circles and watched the golden-yellow brew slosh around.**

**He'd managed to reach a stored pile of clothes and change from the ratty tatters of Glory's dress without making a fool out of himself. He'd expected one of the scab-crew to pop out at any moment while he walked back into town, but he'd been left to himself.**

**Ben noted the tables that surrounded the bar in a semi-circular pattern. Most were filled by young men and women laughing and flirting. They were so happy; they didn't know how close they were to losing everything. Or, that there was a man in their midst who was considering turning an innocent girl over to her death just on the off-chance that it might save his own ass.**

**He sickened himself.**

**A group of intense men in a back corner caught his interest, though he didn't understand why. They were just…oddly incongruent with the crowd around them. There were eight of them crowded around a table for five for one thing. For another, where everyone else in the place were laughing and talking with the ones they were with, these men were downright dour. A pitcher of beer had been delivered to the table, and yet none of them seemed anxious to partake of it.**

**Ben took another swallow of his own beer. As he replaced the mug, he realized all of the men were wearing stocking caps pulled low over their heads. They spoke low to one another and cast suspicious and restless gazes around the room from time to time. When the waitress had brought an order to them, they nearly all seemed to pull at their caps, adjusting them lower over their foreheads. Like some nervous tic that had grown contagious, Ben watched as they all seemed to be pathologically concerned with their caps being low over their foreheads.**

**He turned back to his own beer. He'd allowed himself to be distracted long enough. It was time to get back to brooding on whether he could go through with it. Even if he survived a deal with the devil, could he live with himself knowing he'd killed Buffy's sister?**

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**In the car on the way back to Xander's place, Giles turned up the heater to drive away the desert chill which seemed to cling to their exposed skin. Buffy sat pensive and staring at the darkness as they headed toward town.**

"**Wasn't it useful," he asked.**

"**I didn't think so. Basically, I'm full of love and violence. But there was this thing about death…like maybe she was trying to tell me something and I'm not seeing it."**

"**Hmm…they often speak in riddle, I'm afraid. Perhaps if you could relate exactly what she'd said?"**

"**I will, Giles. I just need to sit with it for a few days first, okay? The important thing is she indicated that I could beat Glory. Of course, just telling me 'hey, what you want to do is recite this incantation while dancing the hula' would have been too simple. But still, I was beginning to wonder if there wasn't anything I could do, so it's a relief to know there's a way."**

"**I've been thinking, while waiting for you…and trying not to freeze," Giles gave her a small smile before returning his attention to the road. "Perhaps Willow was on the right track. She did manage to hurt Glory. Perhaps what we need is a spell combined with the Orb you were given. It must do something other than glow gaily and sit there."**

"**Maybe. We should check the basement tomorrow; see what Glory missed in her destructo-rama. And I still need to get clothes packed for Dawn. We need to stay somewhere other than our house. Glory's been there…it's too easy for her to find us there again whenever she wants. Going to school is also out of the question."**

"**I've been thinking on that, as well. I believe there is a rather powerful coven in Nova Scotia. They may have enough power to hide Dawn, if we can find a way to get her there. They're affiliated with the Council. I'll talk to Quentin tomorrow and see what we can arrange."**

"**Thanks, Giles. Not just for what you're doing now, but for everything."**

"**Oh, w-well…I am your official Watcher again, after all," he cleared his throat.**

"**You've gone way above and beyond over the years. You've taken care of all of us, not just your Slayer. I-I know sometimes I can seem…distant," Buffy swallowed. "I just need you to know that I love you, Giles. You and the gang are the closest thing Dawn and I have to real family left. I just want you to know how much you mean to me. I don't think I tell people how much I care about them nearly enough."**

"**W-well… I certainly have come to see you as more than just my student, as well. If I were to have a daughter some day, I would hope that she is half of the woman you've become. I am so proud of you, and of the others, as well."**

"**Maybe you should tell them that," Buffy pointed out before turning back to the window. "I think that Xander could especially use hearing that right now."**

"**Yes…I may have been a little harsh about his…uh…pronouncement."**

"**Spoken like a true Brit, Giles…."**

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End Chapter 8


	9. From Bad to Worse

**Battling with a God**

Ch 9 – From Bad to Worse

**That night was spent in a group sleepover, except for Giles and Willow, at Xander's apartment. It was cramped, but they made due and worked to keep things light as if it was just a big sleepover. Spike had once again slept in Xander's bedroom. **

**Xander himself, stayed with Anya in her room. He'd had to give her a dose of sedative around midnight as she became upset. Mostly, she'd been trying to leave the apartment to 'help her…she needs me'. But she also grabbed Dawn's wrist and yelled that it was almost time for her to 'do her part', upsetting not just Dawn but Buffy as well.**

**Buffy and Dawn slept on the fold out sofa and Tara stayed on a reclining chair. It was a restless night for everyone, except Anya who'd rested in a comfortable drug-induced sleep for most of the night. Around five, Xander gave her another half of a pill when she began to babble that the 'light is gone…it's all gone' and crying.**

**Breakfast was a somber and quiet affair. It was obvious by Anya's ramblings that things were about to come to a head and no one was looking forward to the battle to come. After a while of glancing around at the others with nothing inspiring to say, Buffy finally gathered up Dawn and left for their house. She wanted to get some things packed before meeting Giles at the Magic Box to see what survived Glory's tantrum that they could use.**

**She wasn't very hopeful. Tara chose to accompany her, if for no other reason than as moral support. She also had to swing by the hospital later and make sure that Willow was behaving. She wanted to talk to the doctor without the red head's presence about whether she really should be released from observation so soon.**

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**The travel to Buffy's home was slow as she made Tara drive a circuitous route there. She spent all of her time checking the side view mirror or looking out the back windows for any followers. In addition, when they did arrive, Tara had to drive past twice. Finally Buffy allowed her to park, but seven houses down while she went to check the place out. Only when she was convinced that there was no Glory in wait, did she allow Tara and Dawn to accompany her.**

"**Don't try to pack everything you own Dawn, just essentials," Buffy stressed.**

"**We have to pack our conditioner, Buffy. Xander's does nothing for my hair," she grinned.**

**Buffy gave her a smile back, appreciating her sister's attempt to lighten the mood.**

"**I would definitely include hair conditioner on the essentials list," she nodded.**

**While Dawn and Tara were packing up clothes, Buffy went down the hallway to her own room. As she passed, she couldn't help but stop in Joyce's bedroom. It was still the way it looked on the day she died. There'd been no time and even less desire to sift through her personal belongings and pack or send them away. She closed her eyes and swallowed over the lump in her throat; she could still smell her mother's perfume in the background air. Sighing, she closed the door and proceeded with the task at hand.**

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**In his own apartment, Giles sat with a teapot at his elbow and the local paper in front of him. He'd been debating internally whether to pack the girls in his sports car for the drive to Nova Scotia or for them to fly there. He wasn't happy with either option for obvious reasons. He wondered if the Council would spring for a private jet out of California, but realized Travers was never going to go for that. He may have learned to be more flexible with Buffy, but he was still the same basic bureaucrat he'd always been. And he would no doubt ask questions about why the 'civilians' had to be involved in the travel or why the Slayer was so concerned with risking her sister instead of shipping her away somewhere. No, he'd have to devise some other method for them all. Having three cars was less than ideal. The only obvious solution seemed to be to rent or purchase an R.V. that they could all travel in. And it had to be cheap…Giles was going to need money for the black market birth certificates with assumed names to get across the border when the time came.**

**As if by thinking Travers' name, he'd cursed himself, the phone rang. On the other end was the devil himself.**

"**Mr. Giles, how are things against Glory? Do we have a plan of action, yet?"**

"**Quentin…I was actually going to call you, myself."**

"**Then I'm glad I've reached you. Before we discuss anything else, the real reason I phoned was to let you know that the arrangements for Buffy's stipend have been finalized. It wasn't easy; the Board was not at all happy that I had agreed to this unprecedented action. However, in the end, their respect for me did carry the day. Her first…uh, allocation…should be available to her by the end of next week."**

"**That is a relief, Quentin. And I do appreciate it, as I'm sure she shall," Giles nodded into the phone.**

"**Well, why is it that you were going to call? Dawn wants a stipend too, now?"**

"**If only it were so trivial. No, I'm afraid that we may need to make a tactical retreat from the Hellmouth."**

"**I see. Unfortunate…I take it that you've had no luck in retrieving the Key, either?"**

"**I'm afraid not. On the other hand, it appears no one has located it yet. It's very possible it will remain hidden by Sunnydale's aura until it is too late for Glory to make use of it," Giles smoothly lied. He'd had a lot of practice over the decades in hiding things from the Council. It was a lesson that Wesley would have done well to learn much earlier.**

"**I see."**

"**Quentin, Glory has stepped up her activity. I need to get the Slayer's friends and family out of here. Since there is nothing that Buffy can do against this woman, it would be best if she were to come as well."**

"**And the Hellmouth? It could be utilized while the Slayer is missing in action," Quentin said. Giles could practically hear the scowl.**

"**Glory wouldn't permit that. Strangely enough, she's taken over the role of guardian by drastically cutting down the other members of the demon community here. Those who were smart have already vacated, as well. And once the Key is of no more use, I believe she will be more vulnerable. The powers of Destiny and Fate seem to be playing a role here."**

"**I would agree. I've almost been convinced that something has been keeping us from being more effective in this area," Quentin said.**

_**Yes, I'm sure that's the reason,**_** Giles thought while rolling his eyes at the ceiling. Aloud he said, "So as you can see, it appears that something is working against the Slayer at this time. I believe the Powers are actively working to keep this device hidden so that even she cannot locate it."**

"**At least Buffy is keeping her distracted, however."**

"**As are the Knights," Giles pointed out. "And they've been spotted again following Buffy. I believe her presence here is keeping them from focusing on their true goal…Glorificus."**

"**Don't you think, given their own devices, they might have success in finding this Key? The Watchers Council would be very displeased if this should happen. We want that item for our vaults, Rupert."**

_**You**__** want it for the vaults, you arrogant, selfish egoist, **_**Giles scowled. **_**Maybe I should just tell him that we're leaving and that is that! Or….**_

"**Buffy could be convinced to stay behind and continue her campaign, Quentin. However, she's distracted by her family being endangered."**

"**Yes, she's always spent far too much attention on trivialities around her. What do you suggest?"**

"**I wish to send the others to Nova Scotia. The coven there should be able to hide them from the Beast's sight," **_**including Dawn who must be kept hidden at all costs.**_** "I was hoping you could arrange for them to expect their arrival. Once they are out of the crosshairs, so to speak, I believe that Buffy can redouble her efforts to keep Glory off balance."**

"**So be it," Quentin agreed. "I will see to it. Good luck, Rupert."**

"**To us all," he concurred before silently adding, **_**However, Buffy and I will also be leaving.**_

**In the paper in front of him, he spotted the very type of vehicle they required. And it was only a thousand dollars. He chose to take it as a sign that the Powers did want Buffy out of harm's away and immediately phoned the number in the ad.**

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**Buffy stood over a small bag sitting on her bed. She was packing 'essentials' but had now paused as she stood holding a claddagh ring of silver in a small jewelry box. It had been packed away since Angel had returned it to her following his return. They still didn't know how he'd managed to escape the Hell she'd had to send him to. She continued to refuse to believe the First Evil had had anything to do with it. She knew that he wasn't so sure. **

**She'd wondered often if she should wear the ring again, but then Riley had come along and she'd felt like she could get over Angel. She'd kept it locked away in her 'mementos chest' and figured she would take it out to look at it when she was an old woman. Not that Slayer's made it that long, but she'd been optimistic back then.**

**The sound of Tara clearing her throat behind her broke her from her reflections and she finished setting the box down in her bag. She couldn't imagine leaving it behind, no matter where she went.**

"**Almost done? I've managed to convince Dawn that she doesn't have to have every single skirt in her closet," Tara smiled.**

"**It's a Summers trait," Buffy returned the grin. "I almost packed the micro skirts I haven't worn in years. Honestly, we should be forced by law to have a once a year spring clean out of our closets under penalty of wearing bad hair for the rest of the year."**

"**Is there any---"**

**Tara's offer of help was abruptly interrupted by a high pitched scream. Less than a heartbeat later, they recognized Dawn's voice and heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.**

"**Buffy!"**

**The Slayer met her sister at the top of the stairs. A man wearing non-descript clothing with a wool cap pulled down low over his head was standing over her shoulder. One of his hands was outstretched to grab the girl, while the other held a short and lethal looking dagger.**

**Buffy grabbed Dawn's arm and flung her behind, depending on Tara to catch her. In the meantime, she snap-kicked out in front of her and caught the man in the face with the flat of her heel. His head snapped back, blood coursing down his face from his thoroughly broken nose. Tumbling backward, Buffy saw him hit two more men who were trying to rush up the stairs. All three went down in a tumble of arms and legs. Coming through the front door strode three more men, all dressed about the same. They were all armed with medieval looking weaponry.**

"**Tara, get back down the hallway," she yelled. **

**The witch didn't hesitate, dragging a panicked Dawn down the hall and into Buffy's bedroom. Buffy knocked another man, this one with a heavily studded mace, down the stairs to join his brethren. She thought she could keep this up all day while Tara called for reinforcements, when a balding gentleman let loose with a crossbow bolt that she barely avoided.**

"**Slayer," he shouted at her as he re-armed the bow. Ahead of him, two men slowly and cautiously started to climb the stairs side by side. Both were armed with daggers. "We want the Key!"**

_**Damn, the Knights! Thanks a whole helluva lot, Travers!**_

"**I don't have the damned Key! What the hell do you think you're doing barging into my home this way!?"**

"**Enough lies," General Kossimo's voice boomed up the stairwell. "Give us the phony sister and put an end to this warfare!"**

**Tara and Dawn heard the exchange from where they huddled in Buffy's room. The witch was on her cell phone with Giles, relating what was happening. Dawn gasped audibly upon hearing that her secret was known to the men assaulting her home.**

"**Dawn…come on, Giles…hurry," Tara beseeched before hanging up. She pushed Dawn toward Buffy's window and glanced out. She couldn't see any men, but had no doubt they'd be somewhere below in the yard…probably standing outside of the kitchen doors. **

_**Well, I'll deal with that in a minute, **_**she thought as she struggled to quietly open the window. From the hallway, she could hear more sounds of Buffy fighting the Knights as best she could. It was obvious she was being pushed down the hall, however.**

"**Dawnie, go…lie face down on the roof so they can't see you from the ground. And for God's sake, be quiet," Tara said. Her face was white and pinched with fear, but Dawn saw nothing but determination to help her and Buffy.**

**Tara turned away from Dawn, hoping the teen would just do as she said. In the meantime, she pulled out a vial of powder from her shirt pocket. She didn't have a lot of supplies, but she always tried to carry something, especially these days.**

**As she opened the door to Buffy's bedroom, she found the room's owner barreling backward in an attempt to avoid another bolt as it shot past and broke out the hall window. Tara slammed the door shut and turned the lock, but she knew it wouldn't last any time at all.**

"**Fulcio obex," she muttered.**

**She helped Buffy up to her feet and then pointed her toward the open window.**

"**We gotta go," she said. "My barrier spell isn't going to last long!"**

**Once outside of the window, Tara muttered another incantation. Buffy didn't recognize the language, but when Tara told her to jump, she didn't hesitate. When she hit the ground below, it was like jumping into a huge invisible pillow. Buffy gained her feet just in time to start hand to hand combat with four of the Knights that had been milling about in her kitchen. Fortunately, it seemed only head-honcho guy got the distance weapons. Behind her, Tara and Dawn landed and then made a run for the backyard gate. **

**Buffy hit a few more times and then took off at a sprint in the direction Tara and Dawn had gone. Right now, they'd be going three doors down an alleyway. Mrs. Trusk's yard was fenceless, so they'd be able to cross it onto Revello and down to Tara's car.**

**Beside her another crossbow bolt thunked into the ground near her passing feet. She spared a glance behind her and heard bald guy with the shooter shouting at his men out of the upstairs window. Behind her were now eight Knights, all running around with weapons drawn in broad daylight. It was like a farcical film, except that they were too dangerous to laugh at.**

**As Buffy took the turn into the Trusk's, she ran right past Tara. She skidded to a halt and was about to scream at Tara for not continuing to run, when the witch threw a vial into the alleyway. Immediately, the Knights began retching and coughing as they stumbled to their knees. **

"**Run," Tara yelled as she barreled past Buffy. The Slayer didn't need to be told twice.**

**Buffy's cell phone started to ring. She waited until they were in Tara's car and she was accelerating before putting the phone to her ear. Behind them in the backseat, Dawn had already crouched near the floor.**

"**Buffy? What's going on! I'm nearing your home; where are you?"**

"**We got away, Giles! Stay away from the house!"**

"**Get to Xander's; I'll meet you there. Be ready to leave the moment I arrive! Have the gang ready," Giles disconnected.**

"**Wow, Tara," Buffy took a moment to sigh in relief. "What was that stuff?"**

"**Essence of stinkbug," the witch snickered.**

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End Chapter 9


	10. Tactical Retreat or Escort Duty

**Battling with a God**

Part 10 – Tactical Retreat or Escort Duty

**When Giles' pulled the quite used recreational vehicle into the apartment parking lot, the gang was waiting. Except for Spike, of course, who had to wait in the lobby. As soon as the door to the R.V. was open, he made a dash across the sunny expanse of tarmac, a smoking blanket held ineffectually over his head. Giles somehow managed to refrain from wishing he'd dropped it and been exposed.**

**Anya had barely been pushed down onto a seat in the back, when Giles floored it. Or tried to. The camper wasn't meant to be a race car.**

"**Is everyone alright," he asked the crowd.**

"**Where now," Xander immediately said.**

"**Hospital," Tara breathlessly suggested, "We can't leave Will behind."**

**As Giles turned a sharp corner onto Johnson Street they passed a Saturn going the opposite way crowded with five men. All of them were wearing wool caps.**

**In the meantime, Tara was on her cell and speaking to Willow.**

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**Once Will, still looking awfully wan, was aboard Giles headed for the highway out of Sunnydale. Spike had packed up the spell books they'd had at Xander's and Willow and Tara were busy brushing through them, looking for anything they could use to mask or defend their flight from town.**

**In the meantime, Xander sat on the floor, back against some cabinets and watching Anya. She was giggling into her hand and staring at Dawn, who tried her hardest to pretend she wasn't noticing.**

"**We can't get her back if we leave town," Xander said. He wasn't asking a question.**

"**We don't know that," Willow tried to be supportive, but sounded like she was, in fact, sure to him.**

"**I'm sorry, Xan," Buffy said. "I don't know what else to do."**

**She felt the crushing guilt of failure and condemning Anya to a life of insaneness. It was hard to take the oppressive atmosphere and she got up and walked into the back bedroom of the camper. She shut the door and threw herself into a chair. Buffy hoped that the gang wouldn't hate her for disrupting their life this way, but she feared they would…especially Xander. She knew how much he still cared for Anya, even if he was starting a new relationship with Spike.**

**Back around the table, Anya said in hushed tones, "Bunnies make soup when carrots grow." This was followed by more laughing.**

"**Uh, would you like a sandwich or something," Dawn asked her, really trying not to be unnerved. It wasn't Anya's fault she wasn't making much sense.**

"**Little light twinkles and think it's heard," Anya giggled.**

"**Here, luv," Spike said as he placed a box of fruit juice with straw in front of her.**

**Instead of accepting the juice however, Anya scowled. **

"**Dead killer thing," she spat at him. "I won't stay in the garden with a vermin-thing." **

**Before anyone could stop her, Anya flung open the blinds that were covering the large window behind her. Sunlight streamed in across the table and landed directly on Spike's hands with dramatic effect.**

**Almost immediately, Spike's hands turned to a blistering red before even his reflexes could pull them away. Smoke steamed off of them and he howled in pain, throwing himself backward. He fell right into Xander, knocking him back to the floor where he'd been raising himself to help.**

**At the table, Dawn immediately grabbed one side of the blinds while Tara grabbed the other to get them closed while Spike tried to shield his head from the wavering rays of sunlight. It only took moments, but it was complicated by Anya screeching that she needed the light while fighting against them.**

"**Alcedonia sua," Willow whispered while waving in Anya's direction. She immediately regretted it. Not only did the despondent young woman completely ignore the entreaty to calm down, but Will's head felt like it might explode. She hissed breath and gritted her teeth against the wave of nausea caused by the pain battering her skull.**

"**Willow!" Tara reached for her hands. Seeing the pain etched onto her girlfriend's face, she reached into her bag and pulled out a small tin. Taking a tiny pill from it, she forced Will to take it and then muttered an incantation under her breath. Immediately, the pain lessened and Willow smiled gratefully at her.**

**In the meantime, Dawn was able to get the blinds back in place while Xander was able to get Anya to calm down at least a little. First he took her wrists in his strong grip and forced her to look at him, before beginning a litany of nonsense words and comforting sounds. As if he were quieting a small child, he spoke low to her telling her to calm down and to be still. Finally, he reached out and stroked her hair across the small table until Anya lay her head down and began to weep quietly that the 'Sun-Princess is trapped in the tower'.**

**He looked down at Spike who was still blowing on his lightly smoking hands. "Sorry, Spike…she doesn't know what she's doing," he said.**

"**I know, luv. It's not bad."**

"**Here, let me see…." Xan took the pale fingers gently in his and gave the vampire's hands a once over. "I think we have some burn ointment to take away the sting and I'll wrap them for you in some loose gauze."**

"**It's no biggie, Xander, I'll be fine."**

"**Let me do this, please. Quit arguing when I want to help," he smiled at Spike.**

"**If you two don't do something about this UST, the whole camper's going to blow," Dawn smirked.**

"**Dawn!" Spike looked like he might tear her head off. Xander only looked mildly amused, while Tara looked mystified.**

"**UST?" She looked between the three of them.**

"**Unresolved Sexual Tension," Willow murmured, bringing a bright blush to the blonde's face.**

**In the meantime Dawn was shrugging innocently at Spike. "What? I've gone through puberty, you know. I recognize sexual tension when I see it."**

"**You'll recognize that sort of thing when you're thirty, and not a day younger," Spike scowled, bringing a laugh from Dawn.**

"**I'm gonna go check on my sis," she said as she walked by. Deliberately as she passed Spike, with Xander tending his hands, she loudly whispered, "Would you two just do it, already?"**

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**When she'd closed the cheap door behind her, Dawn looked closely over her sister. She was worried about her. Slayer constitution or no, she looked exhausted and stressed. She was resting her head in the palm of one hand while the other was busy twirling the tail of her shirt. Her eyes were haggard looking and when she looked at Dawn, she appeared down.**

**Dawn took a seat on the small bed and idly wondered just how they were going to manage to all sleep in there. "Hey," she said to break the silence.**

"**What's the racket? Everything okay," Buffy asked.**

"**Anya wanted to play with the sun. Spike objected. It's okay, now."**

**Buffy nodded and went back to twisting her shirt distractedly.**

"**I want to thank you, Buffy."**

"**For what?"**

"**You know…basically everything. I've done nothing but turn your whole life upside down since I got here."**

"**And don't think I've forgiven you for that time you broke my watch in L.A., either," Buffy gave her a small smile.**

"**I'm serious. You could have…when you found out I wasn't r-real…."**

"**Hey. You're as real as any of us. And you're my sister."**

"**I'm a ball of energy that got pressed into flesh. And they forced you to take care of me. But even when you found all of that out, you never made me feel any different. You and mom."**

"**That's 'cause I love you. No matter how big a whiney pain you are," Buffy grinned.**

"**You've just been jealous because my hair is way more pretty," Dawn grinned back.**

"**Oh, pu-leeze… you'd kill for my hair."**

"**Hah!" Dawn smiled before growing serious again. "I mean it though. You've been… a real hero."**

**Buffy sighed. "Heroes don't run away. I should be fighting."**

"**You're not running…you're, uh, escorting me to safety."**

"**I'm running 'cause I don't know what else to do. 'Death is my gift'… how the heck was that supposed to help me? And now, Anya is going to pay for my cowardice."**

"**Buffy…you're not a coward. You're one of the bravest people I will ever know. And she's a god for, uh, God's sake. What are you supposed to do?"**

"**I don't know."**

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End Chapter 10


	11. Closing In

**Battling with a God**

Ch 11 – Closing In

**While Buffy and Dawn spoke in the tiny bedroom, Xander was finishing bandaging Spike's hands. Tara had dug out a coloring book from who knew where and Anya was happily coloring in a lion in rainbow hues. Willow had her eyes closed, resting them after her painful spell attempt. She was far too weak still to try throwing around the mojo.**

**Xand gave Spike a grin and then left him to go up to the front of the R.V. with Giles.**

"**Any idea where we're going? Or when we're going to be able to stop for food? We don't have any blood on board for the handsome leech."**

"**Yes on the first, no on the second," Giles gave a weary smile. "I'm afraid we can't stop until absolutely necessary. We're about to cross the Sunnydale border…soon after that, I'm afraid our adversaries will be able to sense the Key's presence."**

"**I kinda wish we'd had time to stop off and steal another rocket launcher…or you know, maybe a tank."**

"**Perhaps if Riley were here, he could have requisitioned a gun-copter," Giles suggested.**

"**Or an ICBM…who needs Southern Cali, anyway?"**

"**How is Anya…and Spike?"**

"**Calm… and slightly singed."**

"**I suppose we're lucky he wasn't hurt worse," Giles said unconvincingly.**

"**I know you don't approve…of what I told you about. Me and Spike…I get that. He's a vampire and I'm not; or is it more than that? Is the guy/guy thing freaking you out, 'cause I went through that, too. So, you know…I would get that, too."**

"**No, of course I'm not 'freaked out'. I don't wish you to think that I'm trying to be your… uh… your father, Xander. But I do feel the need to express my concern with any…tryst… you may be considering with Spike," Giles glanced at him before turning his attention again straight ahead. **

"**Giles, you've done more for me in five short years than my dad did for me in nineteen. And I respect you about five hundred percent more."**

"**Then, with that respect in mind, I must ask you to please consider very carefully what you're planning on doing. Xander, I know that Spike can seem very human in his reactions, but he's not. Uh, human, that is."**

"**I know. And I know why you're worried…I was there during Angelus, too. But Spike isn't like that."**

"**Not on the surface, no. But these things tend not to go well in the long run. I don't want to see you hurt, or worse."**

"**He can't hurt me, Giles. He's chipped still. Why does everyone keep forgetting that when it's convenient," Xander complained, exasperated.**

"**We don't know that," Giles emphasized. "We only know that he can't attack people. We don't know anything about this chip…how it's programmed, how it decides whether he's becoming aggressive or not. We don't know if it is triggered by him, or if the chip somehow senses fear in a person when they are about to be bitten."**

**Giles took a breath and swallowed. Then he drove on with his real concern. It was an uncomfortable topic and he hadn't ever expected to be having this conversation once Angel had left for Los Angeles. "W-we don't know if the chip will work, if-if-if a person, um, wants to be, uh, taken."**

"**You're saying…you're worried that if I want to be bitten, Spike may be able to do it? And that you're afraid I'm gonna want him to? Eew, gross!"**

"**Is it, Xander? You've already given him a taste for your blood, now. Do you think every vampire-mortal pairing has started immediately like Riley's error in judgment? No, the vampire seduces it's…consort…partner…whatever term you wish. The ultimate victim starts out as a willing participant, wondering what it would be like…er, wanting to make their…uh…their l-lover happy. And then the vampire wants more and more, until one day it's too much. I don't wish to see that happen to you. And the draw of immortality can be very seductive in its own right, even being aware that it won't be you. Plus the gypsy curse must make it seem even more possible to cheat eventual old age and death."**

"**I am not going to be feeding Spike from my vein, Giles. That was a one time emergency thing."**

"**And how many more times will he be injured," Giles wanted to know. "We live dangerous lives. And Spike is going to be fighting others who wish to usurp his status whether he fights for the Slayer or not. He's going to get hurt, sometimes badly. How often are you going to be willing to let him feed from you? How can you not if he seems in a bad way? I'm not saying that Spike would intentionally wish to hurt you, Xander. There have been vampires who truly do seem to form an emotional, financial or political attachment to their human partners and don't mean to kill them. But it always ends the same way…death or worse."**

"**I'll remember to be careful, Giles. And the others will be watching me like a hawk for signs that I'm letting him nibble. Believe me, I'm not looking to be dead… or undeaded by him. But I can't just walk away from this without exploring it."**

"**Just proceed slowly and with care," Giles sighed in defeat. "And if you believe you're becoming in trouble, I want you to know you can always turn to me. I won't judge you; I'll only be there to assist you."**

"**You do realize that he's probably listened in to this entire conversation, don't you," Xander quirked a brow.**

"**Well, I certainly hope so! I don't want to have to repeat this whole thing again. And I hope he's hearing me when I say that if he hurts you, I won't waste a minute in beheading him."**

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**Spike sat abashed at the table dealing out a game of solitaire and trying to ignore Anya's occasional glares. Was she glaring because some part of her remembered that he'd 'stolen' Xan, or was it just that he was undead? Who bloody knew? But, of course, he'd been listening to at least most of Giles' rant up front. Maybe if he pretended otherwise, Xander would buy it.**

**The Watcher was wrong. He wasn't looking to feed on Xan or make him into some sort of half-arsed convert to the vampire lifestyle. **

**At least that's what Spike told himself. But a deep inner voice had to wonder just how this could work in any other way? Would he really be able to watch Xander's broken body take its last painful gasps and expire? Could he watch the ravages of age take him away wrinkle by crease?**

**Spike told the inner voice to shut the hell up and played the two of spades on top of the ace.**

"**Here's something," Willow said, breaking into his morbid thoughts.**

"**What? Let's see, sweetie," Tara leaned over her girl's shoulder. Spike smiled just a bit when he saw one girl's fingers twine around the other's. He tried to picture him and Xander touching like that and wondered if he was capable of that sort of affection. And if he wasn't, could Xander live without it?**

"**Well, it's a pretty powerful barrier…oh, wait. Dammit, we can't be moving when it's cast," she sighed.**

"**Well, keep that page marked anyway," Tara said. "We may end up needing it. All I've come up with for masking agents is smoke to the face, temporary blindness…here's summoning birds or butterflies to hover in somebody's face…."**

**Next to her, Anya giggled, "Butterflies…." she whispered before laughing again.**

"**You like butterflies, Anya," she asked the other woman with a smile. "They're very pretty aren't they?"**

"**Butterflies on toast…." Anya said before going back to coloring.**

**Tara sighed and turned her attention back to Willow. "Everything so far is more for close up and personal. Nothing to just turn Dawn into inviso-girl."**

"**It's probably why the monks used the Hellmouth to shield her," Spike offered. He wished he could be of more use. Dawn needed him and he couldn't do anything for her. He couldn't cast spells, he was useless when it came to trying to beat on Glory and he'd be quickly rendered into an unconscious lump the moment he tried to fight off the Knights. He suddenly wondered just what he was doing here anyway, other than making them all have to worry about securing blood for him later.**

"**It's a shame we couldn't just pack up a purse full of Hellmouth energy to use," Tara said.**

"**Shit," Willow said next to her, the look in her eye distant.**

"**Honey?" "Red?" Her two lucid companions questioned at once.**

"**We've just left the Hellmouth's range," Willow said worriedly.**

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**Gregor stood in the living room of the Summers' home in a foul mood. Despite the alleged training of the warriors with him, the Slayer had escaped. And more to the point, she'd taken the Key with her. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply in an attempt to gain a hold of his anger; throwing a tantrum wouldn't help anyone at this point. Best to wait quietly until their search was complete. **

**Around him, the house was in disarray as drawers were yanked open and emptied. A weapon's chest in the living room and what must have been the Slayer's bedroom were tipped over. And closets and storage bins were emptied of their contents as men looked for any sign of what the Slayer's plans were.**

**When he opened his eyes, Orlando was standing nervously before him.**

"**Progress," he asked.**

"**Not much, sir. We did locate the Key's 'diary' confirming her identity. Mostly it just contained the usual young teen complaining. It appears that she only found out what she really was recently."**

"**Anything like that in the Slayer's room?"**

"**I'm afraid not. Perhaps the Watcher's apartment would be more helpful," Orlando said.**

"**Our next stop," the General confirmed.**

**Sandor, who'd been standing quietly next to Gregor the entire time suddenly gasped and put his hands to his stomach. It immediately drew Elias from the kitchen.**

"**What is it," Gregor asked.**

"**There's been a change. I can feel the emanations of the Key. Elias! Quickly! We must form a meditative trance to pinpoint its location before it fades!"**

**As the two mystics began their chant to reach synchronization with each other, Gregor grabbed Dean Stabbler. "Report back to base camp. Break out the heavy gear and get those rented horses dressed for battle. We're finally going to put an end to this today!"**

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**In Glory's penthouse, the scabby-skinned sycophants were in a tizzy of activity. Mostly this involved berating each other for not having forced Ben to be here. Now that Grono and Ginx had confirmed that the Key was sending out its siren signal, they had no idea where Her Most Luscious' human prison was wandering. Granier had already rushed to the hospital to retrieve the minion on Ben watch, but the human had never showed.**

"**We should, uh, steal transportation or something and retrieve the Key ourselves for her Most Blinding Light," Guev suggested.**

"**And face the Slayer again," Ginx asked skeptically. "And her mighty warriors?"**

"**Ginx is right," Guar was quick to say. "Glory must retrieve the Key from so fearsome a force."**

"**Then we must find her," more than one voice lamented in the din of argument. They began to uselessly hit their summoning jewels in their sleeves, hoping to call Glory to come home.**

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**Ben was outside of Sunnydale and heading south toward the Mexican border. He hadn't wanted to risk returning to Glory's for his things, so he only had the clothes he currently wore. In the back seat was a newly purchased backpack filled with bottled water. He felt elation mixed with fear and both was producing enough adrenaline to force sweat from his pours.**

_**I'm really going to do it! I'm really breaking free….**_

**Good old Sis was going to be so pissed when she next appeared, only to find herself lost in an Amazon village and way too late to do anything with her portal home. Ben grinned to himself. He'd have to write a letter and address it to his 'twin' to read when he had a chance. He wanted her to know that she'd failed and it was because of him.**

**Ben banged his hands on the steering wheel and whooped with laughter. And that's when the tire blew out and the car swerved off the road.**

_**No…no! This isn't happening; this **__**can**__**not**__** be happening!**_

**He looked up into the mid day sun streaming down and silently cursed at whatever dark hand was working against him. Grabbing the backpack, he abandoned the car where it sat and continued walking south. He looked for any cars headed his way so he could hitch a ride, but of course, the road was eerily deserted at the moment.**

**He was just drinking some of the still cool water from one of the bottles when a tremor went through his whole body. The world had seemed to tip just slightly to his perceptions, but it had stopped before he did more than stumble a step.**

_**Now what,**_** he thought with worry. He tried to continue walking south, but his legs refused to move and his eyes began to blur.**

**Before he had time to do more than begin the rant that he wanted to scream, Glory stood in his place.**

_**Where the hell am I?**_

"**Okay, okay… I hear you damn it," she complained aloud to the ringing chimes she heard in her head. It sounded like every one of the munchkins was laying on those stupid gemstones. **

_**If I get back to my penthouse, and this is nothing….**_** she thought darkly as she began to trudge in the direction of the summoning signal in her head. **_**What the fuck was Benny doing out here?**_

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End Chapter 11


	12. The Price of Warfare

**Battling with a God**

Ch 12 – The Price of Warfare

**In the Recreational Vehicle, Giles had relinquished the wheel for awhile to Xander. Willow and Dawn had worked together to put aluminum foil on the front window in front of the passenger side and on the side windows. Dawn wanted to allow Spike to sit up front with 'his boyfriend' (snicker-snicker).**

**Buffy had finally come out of her self seclusion and sat at the table with Giles and a road map. Tara was currently in her place in the little bedroom, watching over Anya. She'd needed another pill when she began crying hysterically that 'Glory needs me to build her monument!' The bedroom door was left open, so that Tara could follow what the plan was, but she was mostly engrossed in trying to find an alternate way to save Anya's sanity without directly confronting Glorificus.**

**Now, Willow half followed what Giles and Buffy discussed and half skimmed over her own spell book, looking for ways to reign in the energy signature that Dawn was unintentionally broadcasting. Even if it wasn't drawing Glory or the Knighthood right to them, and it probably was, it would be best if they could muzzle Dawnie's aura for the future as well.**

**Dawn tried to help by getting everyone water from the tiny dispenser in the kitchenette and making sure she helped research Anya's cure, too. She was stuck in alternating cycles of guilt for being such a beacon and trying not to be offended when Willow and Giles occasionally spoke about her like she wasn't right there listening. She really wanted to act like a grown up while everyone else was so busy.**

**Actually everyone was starting to look a little drowsy. The air conditioning wasn't so great in their oh-so-previously-used rig and they couldn't open the windows because of Spike catching a lethal dose of rays. She sighed, but quickly put on a 'this is all good' smile.**

"**Would anyone like some coffee? I think we threw some in the backpacks and there seems to be a pot in here. Uh, I'd wash it first…really good…maybe with bleach and dynamite."**

"**Thank you, Dawn," Giles smiled at her. "But as tempting as the thought is, I'll think I'll wait until we reach the next McDonalds."**

"**Speaking of which," Xander called back. "I'm definitely making a pit stop at the next place. There's no way, I'm peeing in that tiny closet they shoved the porta-potty in!"**

"**Ugh," Spike teased him. "I'd forgotten about all of that human waste issue. I may need to rethink this relationship-thing with you."**

"**Oh, too late now Fang-face. We've already got Dawn pushing us together now; there's no way we get to back out."**

"**You got that, right," Dawn called out. "If I don't get to see some hot man on male-vamp action soon, I'm going to glue your lips together when you're sleeping."**

"**Dawn!" Buffy scowled uncomfortably at her.**

"**What? Xan and Spike are both hot. What could be hotter than watching them be hot together? Uh, but not in a gay porn sort of way…which I'd know nothing about because I don't know how to use the internet…."**

"**Oh, my god…no more computer for you for the rest of your life," Buffy said.**

"**Hello? Everyone? Puberty came and went…can we all catch up?"**

"**Or can we simply ignore the last five minutes of this conversation," Giles asked. "Please?"**

"**I'm definitely scrubbing by memory clean," Buffy said.**

"**I've already told her to stop thinking them thoughts until she's thirty," Spike offered.**

"**I'm the legal guardian here, and I say it's going to be forty," Buffy called back. "In fact, I may be locking her in her room for that long, too. Once she actually has a room, again."**

"**Look at it this way, Buffy. Now that we're out of Sunnydale, at least things can't get any crazier." Dawn smiled at her sister. Of course, that was exactly the moment that the point of a crossbow bolt slammed through the side of the R.V., fortunately missing everyone.**

"**You know you just jinxed us, right," Buffy pointed out with a roll of her eyes.**

"**Oops," Dawn conceded before screaming, startled and diving to the ground as the window was smashed in by a club.**

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"**Xander, start swerving!" Buffy struggled out from behind the table so that she'd have more maneuverability. All around them thundered the hooves of horses and men's yelling.**

"**Don't hit the horsies," Willow shouted while checking on Tara.**

**Tara had quickly grabbed Anya's sedated form and dragged her to the floor, trying to keep her from being hit by the crossbow bolts that were still puncturing the camper's walls. She gave Willow a quick, worried smile and then opened the spell book in her hands to ready herself.**

**Willow was frustrated because she knew a spell or two and she'd be tapped out again. She may not even be able to do that much, after all trying to calm Anya magically had only inflicted pain on her. She looked at the knife she held in her hand and thought how little good it was going to do against armor.**

**At the smashed window, Giles was struggling with a Knight who hung half into the interior of the R.V. and was swinging wildly with a blunt mace. Finally, he was able to get in two solid punches to the man's face and with a brief yell, he'd fallen back out. **

**Spike leaned toward Xander before making a dash toward the back to help out where he could. "Aim for the horsies, mate!"**

"**Dawn," Buffy called for her sister, but then she had to deal with a sword plunging through the roof. The blade caught her down her back, but she could tell it wasn't a serious wound.**

**Under the table where she'd managed to crawl through all of the legs in her way, Dawn was desperately trying to chant from the spell book she held. She didn't even know what it said, but it had to be better than sitting here.**

"**Idii-uh-ma-manip- oh, crap! Why did I have to grab the stupid Babylonian book!"**

"**I-it's Sumerian," Giles yelled before once again engaging an armored man trying to wiggle through the window and into the camper's interior.**

"**You're cut," Spike yelled at Buffy.**

"**Later! Boost me up to the roof… Xander, step on it and swerve!"**

"**I'm stepping…and swerving," he yelled back frustrated. "This thing drives like a cardboard box in a stiff breeze!"**

"**Well, excuse me if I didn't have time to properly shop," Giles complained. His latest foe finally was pushed out with a yell.**

**Tara stood hanging onto the door frame and trying to keep the bedroom door from closing on her fingers. She pointed at the window frame that Giles was still trying to guard with nothing more than his hands.**

**Above her head she could hear Buffy and more than one man banging around on the roof. Another Knight apparently leapt from his horse and onto the window's sill, attempting to wriggle in. He was waving a short sword at Giles to hold him at bay.**

"**Desolvo," Tara yelled, flinging green energy that knocked the man out. Around her, crossbow points continued to poke through. She glanced back to make sure Anya was okay, but the young woman was still under the sedatives effects and was snoring soundly. It would have been funny if things weren't so desperate.**

**Just in front of her and holding for dear life to the sink basin, Willow closed her eyes.**

"**Will, don't," Tara tried to warn her, but Will was already chanting.**

"**Mighty Neptune, call to your equestrians through your horse god aspect! Oh, ****Pégasos, we beseech thee…let your brethren undo their yokes and run free!"**

**Willow gasped as her body weakened under the strain of the incantation. Tara was there cradling her before she could hit the floor. Outside of the vehicle, men suddenly shouted in alarm and the sounds of hooves could be heard thundering away in all different directions en mass. "I think…I think it worked," she breathed.**

"**Baby, you need to lay off the magicks. You know that! You should have just told me what the plan was," Tara stroked her hair. **

"**It's okay…I'll be alright, now," Will smiled at her.**

**On the roof, Buffy watched in amazement as the horses suddenly seemed to get a mind of their own. They bucked men from the saddles, or simply began running wildly out of control, the riders holding on for dear life. Behind the R.V., men lay on the ground and she felt a pang of guilt. They'd left her no choice and she knew she'd killed at least two of them, maybe a few more if they hit the ground wrong. She hoped that Giles would understand she hadn't been able to get them off the camper any other way.**

**On her hands and knees, she tried to ride out Xander's erratic driving as he was still swerving defensively. She banged on the roof and yelled down through the hatch that they'd broken off the attack. **

**But she spoke too soon. **

**Gregor's horse was responding to the magic, like the others, but he'd managed to twist in his saddle. Trying the best he could to fight his horse and fire his crossbow he aimed for the Slayer as the R.V. pulled away from him.**

**His angle for the shot was from the side and he didn't think he'd be able to hit her while also trying not to be bucked off his steed. He pulled the trigger anyway. The shot went completely wide, but he had no more chance to see what was happening with his quarry. His horse was bolting and it was all he could do to hang on.**

**The crossbow bolt flew into a wide arc, far too low to reach past the R.V.'s side. It was also far wide from its mark. If the vehicle had been moving any slower, it would have sailed right in front of it. Any faster, and it would have been just another bolt sticking ineffectively into the side of the camper. But Xander was still pressing the gas pedal to its maximum. Providence caught the lethal missile and it struck true just below the driver's side window.**

**It effortlessly punched through the driver's side door panel and Xander gasped first in surprise and then pain as he felt it impact into his side.**

"**Well, damn," he said as he felt the hot wetness begin to soak his shirt.**

**With Xander having straightened out the wheel, Buffy now felt comfortable with crawling back toward the roof hatch. She had just reached it when the R.V. unexpectedly and sharply swerved again.**

"**Xander," she shouted as she tried to grab hold of the roof. It was relatively flat, however and offered no real hand holds. She slid across the roof and was flung off to the sand below, hitting the ground hard. Her years of training and experience allowed her to compensate and she was able to roll with the impact.**

**Leaping to her feet she saw and heard the large vehicle go down.**

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_Flashback – Moments ago_

**All of the commotion had finally broken through Anya's drug induced separation from the world and she sat up bleary eyed. She was sort of aware that something was happening. There was noise and shouting and thunking. She started to cry…afraid. The bunnies were thumping the car with their huge feet and they were going to get her.**

**Sitting in the entryway was Tara one arm holding Willow, while the other braced them against the door. Willow had tried another spell, even though it was way too soon after her showdown with Glory. She was equal parts angry and relieved that she appeared to be okay.**

**Willow was trying to convince her head that it didn't really hurt. Her head wasn't buying it and continued to pound. In addition, it felt like she'd lost all of the strength for several minutes in her limbs and she was afraid she'd given herself a stroke. Fortunately, she could feel herself recovering.**

**Spike was glancing at the roof access and waiting to help Buffy back down. In the meantime he glanced under the table and found Dawn gripping a book with white knuckles, her eyes wide. "You okay, Dawn?"**

"**Y-yeah… not a scratch. Did we win?"**

**His reply was preempted by Buffy's yell of alarm from above them. The vehicle went into a sharp swerve, and Spike felt an instance of irritation. He took a deep breath to yell at Xander to watch what the hell he was doing when the smell of Xander's blood hit him like a baseball bat to the face. For a split second he flashed back to the night in the alley when Dracula had nearly taken him away. And then he was running forward and yelling for Xan.**

**Xander struggled to bring the lumbering vehicle under control, but he'd lost strength in his legs. He could feel each movement of the R.V. as a slicing and dicing inside his innards as the pointed tip of the cross bolt melded him with the door panel.**

**The gang was yelling at him, but he couldn't focus and it took only seconds for him to lose the battle against the behemoth. The wheel seemed to turn of its own volition and he felt himself flung to the right, falling from the driver's seat. The next thing he knew, he was lying in an uncomfortable cramped position against the passenger side door. From above him, his own blood dripped off of the bolt in the door sending fat droplets splashing onto his face.**

**Giles was rudely pushed out of the way as Spike dashed around him. He found himself half lying/half kneeling on the curved bench seating for the table. He'd just begun to straighten to berate Spike when he was suddenly flung backward into the cabinets on the side of the sink. He just had time to yell for everyone to hang on, when the whole camper tipped over onto its side.**

**Dawn was trying to crawl out from under the table when she found herself free falling forward. Unable to stop her momentum, her shoulder banged painfully on the table's central leg and then she was being thrown into the sink cabinets. Her last action was trying to get her arms up, when her head connected solidly with the cupboard doors and her eyesight was full of stars.**

**Tara lost her grip on Willow as she instinctively grabbed the doorframe and screamed. The whole R.V. was tipping onto its side and Willow fell into the area above the sink, slamming into the wall that should have been behind the basin, but was now below it. She had broken the sink's faucet in the fall and water was running in a heavy dribble over her face and chest.**

**For her part, Tara was able to hold on somehow. She was fine until the top of the vehicle slammed down on the road. Her head was slammed forward, her chin hitting painfully on the doorjamb. Seconds later and she felt the pain in her bottom lip where her teeth had bitten down, breaking the skin.**

**Anya was crying for the nice lady. She knew her name, but things were so confused and noisy and she couldn't think. She wanted the nice lady to smooth her hair and to hear her voice. She'd just begun to crawl towards her when the whole world lurched around her. **

**She screamed as things began flying into her face, over her head and she felt herself fall to the side. When she hit the ground hard, she cried even more. **

"**The world is cracking apart," she screamed, hoping someone could help her. "The world! It's cracking apart!"**

**Spike was thrown off balance in his flight and found himself leaning against the cabin door when it flew open unexpectedly underneath him. Before he could process that the door was somehow under him, the side of the wreck crashed into asphalt. The door was powerfully slammed shut, aborting Spike's movement downward and he felt his head viciously thrown back causing a brief agonizing pain as his neck suffered whiplash and his lips were split open by the impact of metal against skin.**

**In addition, he could taste blood from his smashed nose flowing down his face. Next to him, lay Giles. He could see blood on the back of the Watcher's head, but he was conscious and didn't seem too badly off. Past him, Red was struggling to sit up and furiously wiping water from her face. The panicked flailing at her face told him she probably thought she was gushing blood.**

"**It's just water, Red. You broke the sink," he croaked. In the next breath, whatever snapping comment he'd been about to make at her vanished from his mind as he remembered that Xander's blood was scenting the air.**

"**Xander! Talk to me," he yelled as he struggled to get to his hand and knees. At the same time he had to avoid the too close for comfort, river of sunlight making its way in through the new skylight.**

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End Chapter 12


	13. Wreckage

**Battling with a God**

Ch 13 – Wreckage

"**Dawn! Giles!" From outside of the now toppled recreational vehicle, the occupants could here Buffy's frantic calls.**

"**We're okay, Buffy…mostly," Dawn answered. "Uh, we're kinda stuck in here!"**

**There was the sound of boots on the undercarriage of the vehicle and Buffy's head was over the smashed former dining table window, now skylight.**

"**Hey…is anyone hurt badly," she asked with concern.**

"**Xander's hurt," Dawn yelled up to her.**

"**I'm okay," he yelled hoarsely. His voice was full of obvious pain.**

"**You blood well are not," Spike countermanded him. "We need to get a wound packed in Xan's side! All of you, take off your clothes…I need bandages, damn it. Now!"**

"**Oh, god… please ignore him! I don't want to see jangly bits hanging all over," Xander joked while gritting his teeth. He was starting to shake and could recognize shock.**

"**Everyone just calm down," Giles insisted. "Buffy, how are we up there? Where are the Knights?"**

"**We're clear…I don't see them."**

"**I inspired a revolt among their horses. It'll be awhile before my spell fades," Willow said.**

"**Buffy, help the others out. Anya seems to be in a state of shock. She should go second so someone is out there to watch over her. In the meantime, I'm going to take care of Xander," Giles stated.**

"**It's not going to involve you removing your clothing, is it," Xander's voice sounded. It was definitely weaker than it had been moments before.**

"**Shut up, you git," Spike barked at him. "This is serious!"**

"**Spike, I'm throwing the kitchen hand towels over there," Giles offered. "Do the best you can until I can get past all this debris."**

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"**Alright! I'm here, god damn it, stop pressing on those frickin' jewels," Glory yelled as she entered her condominium. Before her the minions immediately fell into supplication and the buzzing in her head stopped.**

"**Your Most Immensely Beautiful," Goru cried, "We have located the Key!"**

"**I located the Key," Ginx immediately said, pushing Grono out of the way.**

"**You couldn't have done anything, if it wasn't for my stupendous sensing abilities," Grono insisted as he pushed Ginx behind.**

"**That's not true," Ginx stated, hopping up and down to catch Glory's eye.**

"**SHUT UP." All of the glassware in the room vibrated in the aftermath of Glory's voice. Their slight humming was suddenly the only sound.**

"**Now," Glory said, "If this is another tease, I'm going to pop some heads like enormous zits."**

"**No, no, Your Majestic Powerful Greatness," Guev cried, tears of utter joy on his cheeks. "It truly is the Key, this time! Home, we're going home to shine in your undiluted radiance!"**

**Glory had to admit that they did seem to be a little too orgasmically happy. Maybe they really did finally find it. She burst out into a wide smile, her long boring trek across the sandy scrublands and Ben's odd location and circumstances utterly forgotten now.**

"**So, tell me already…. Grono," she added as she saw all of their nasty little rodent mouths opening to answer.**

"**It's eastward, My Glowing Goddess! Outside the bounds of Sunnydale," he couldn't contain his laughter of joy.**

"**Hmmm. Buffy must be trying to make a run for it," Glory reasoned. "The bitch must have known I was closing in. Well, if she thought she could outrun a God, it's time to show her how wrong she is. Alright, gather the nutbars and start building my tower at the site we discussed. Guev will act as my high priest to anoint the Key, so I don't have to listen to any more frickin' rambling from you insects. Ginx, you'll assist."**

"**Shouldn't some of us come with you," asked Guar. "To assist in obtaining the Key from the warrior and her people?"**

"'**Cause you'd be so helpful, right," Glory said with clear disdain. All before her looked shame-facedly away. They knew they were nothing, but it still hurt to hear their Mistress speak it aloud. Not that she noticed, "You're all useless when it comes to fisticuffs and there's no way that tramp is going to give me what I want just by asking. So…who is it?"**

**Grono and Ginx held up a mirror between them and muttered their ancient and demonic language. In the mirror, a hazy outline formed. It quickly came into focus, the image of a skinny, dark haired girl of perhaps fifteen or sixteen smiled out at them.**

"**The sister?! Really? Huh," Glory said surprised. She'd been so sure that the monks were more clever than that. "Well, why didn't you guys tell me that she was a probable choice before," she glared at them.**

**They all looked away and remained silent. **

"**Useless. I'm changing my shoes, there's no way I'm breaking another set of heels and then I'll just run out there and pick up my prize. Gather weapons, I expect you to keep little Dawnie guarded well in case Ben mucks things up by coming back."**

**Glory turned to go upstairs to her bedroom for her one pair of semi-stylish flats. Ordinarily she wouldn't be caught dead in them, but sometimes practicality had to take precedence over looking good. Even for her Majestic self. She looked over her shoulder at the minions, still scraping and bowing and being lazy, as far as she could see.**

"**Well, go on," she said in exasperation. "Time's a wasting, you maggots! Chop, chop!"**

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**As the sounds of people jumping and climbing sounded behind him, Giles made his way up front. He could see Spike worriedly looking down at Xander and was again amazed at how human-like this particular strain of hellbeast could seem, on occasion.**

"**Xander, are you still with us," Giles asked as he bent awkwardly over the young man.**

"**I must be. It hurts too much to be dreaming."**

"**He's bleeding out! Get your old, flabby arse down here and do something," Spike said; fangs, yellow eyes and beetled forehead showing.**

"**Relax, Spike. If he were bleeding out, he'd be unconscious by now. And you do realize that the fangs are less terrifying when one knows you can't use them?"**

"**Never mind that, he could have nicked his bowels. For all we know, he's going into septic shock, right now!"**

"**I'm fine, Spike," Xander tried to insist.**

"**No, you're not. You're delirious… be quiet."**

**Giles sighed, annoyed. "Spike… you know if he'd punctured his bowel, we'd know. It wouldn't take enhanced senses to smell the result. Now move that towel and let me look at the damage. How are you feeling, Xander? Really?"**

"**Woozy… in pain… it's not bad, Giles," he grimaced. "Don't let mother hen over here worry you."**

_**It really isn't, Xander, **_**Hyena assured him.**

_**Yeah? When did you get a medical degree?**_

_**Don't need one. I can tell. It's going to hurt like a bitch, but the bleeding looks worse than it is.**_

_**I'd feel better if Commando would pipe up about it. Where the hell is he in there?**_

…_**. I wouldn't know, **_**Hyena whispered before fading out.**

"**Xander! Come back to us… don't fade out on me," Spike barked.**

**Giles glanced at Spike holding a towel sopping with Xander's blood. He still wore his 'game face' as the children insisted on calling it. It was disconcerting.**

"**Spike, unless you plan on biting that bloody towel, I'd wish you'd put the face away for the moment," Giles said as he went about probing around Xander's wound. He was going to add something mildly insulting about the vampire doing what vampires did, but this wasn't the time or place. Besides, he'd already made his displeasure known to Xander regarding their liaison. It was best to let things lie until they were over this newest crisis.**

"**Xander, I'm going to try a healing spell. Now, I'm not the best suited for this sort of thing, but I believe I can lessen the bleeding. Try to stay still," he said as he laid his hands directly on the wound, eliciting a pained groan from his patient.**

**Giles took a moment and a breath to center himself.**

"**Oh, get on with it, would you," Spike growled.**

"**Hey, Fangly…let the man concentrate. I don't want be all backed up, 'cause you caused him to seal off my innards."**

"**If the two of you would, kindly, stop arguing until after the incantation," Giles said. **

"**Vein joins to vein, Skin mends to skin, Tissue binds with tissue. Blood remains with blood, Flesh holds to flesh, Sinew bonds to sinew. Let the Goddess who is Unnamed Light grant our appeal."**

**This Giles repeated three more times, before re-opening his eyes. He looked a little more worn, but it appeared that the Goddess heard, for Xander's side was no longer leaking fluid. It wasn't exactly healed, but at least he wasn't losing any more blood.**

"**I've managed to stop the bleeding," he smiled reassuringly at Xander.**

"**Let's get him out of here, then," Spike said impatiently. He hadn't forgotten that the Knights were going to be making a return visit.**

"**I'll help him out," Buffy's voice startled Giles. She had obviously lowered herself into the wreckage while he was busy.**

"**First, see if you can find another clean towel or rag, Buffy. We need to cover the wound as well as we can. My spell won't last forever and we're going to need to get Xander to a hospital for sutures."**

"**Don't we have a mending kit in this heap," Spike said. "I can sew him up, myself."**

"**I don't believe so, but if we do, it's undoubtedly buried in the rest of the refuse," Giles sighed. The blood on his hands was becoming tacky and made it more difficult to ignore that once again someone he cared about had been hurt.**

"**I'll look for it. You guys get out and find shelter," Spike volunteered. "It's not like I can go with you."**

"**Hey, hey, wait," Xander interrupted as Spike man-handled him over to Buffy. "What do you mean? If you think we're just abandoning you, Fangless, then you're insane. Not after all the trouble we went through to get you back."**

"**Think a minute, Xan. Bright sunlight outside… I'm not going to do much good if I'm drifting away on the breeze."**

"**He's right, Xan," Buffy said with obvious regret. "Spike can't leave until sundown and we can't stay here."**

"**Why the hell not," Xander replied angrily. "It's not like I'm up for a hike back to town."**

**Buffy put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Dawn says she saw an abandoned gas station or something. It's about three miles back she thinks and a few hundred yards off from the road. We can regroup there until we know what we're doing next. Spike can find us easily enough once he's not going to go flambé."**

"**B-but what if the Knights return," he turned toward Spike. "You'll be defenseless!"**

"**They're not going to waste time with the wreck. I'll be okay, mate. And I'll see you again. Just do what the Slayer and Watcher tell you…don't make your wound any worse, yeah?"**

"**Spike…."**

"**There's no other choice, love. And we both know it," Spike dipped his head forward and caught Xander's lips with his own. It was a short, hard kiss. "We'll meet up later."**

**Giles cleared his throat. When everyone looked at him, he was finishing wiping his glasses in his Giles-way and replacing them. "I suggest we move."**

**Buffy helped Giles up until he could grab onto the window frame above him and haul himself out. Next she did the same for Xander as Giles grabbed his arms. He hissed and swore the whole way up, but he made it in relatively short order and without causing any more bleeding from the magically sealed blood vessels.**

"**You couldn't throw in a morphine spell while you were at it," he grinned at Giles.**

**In the cabin of the R.V., Buffy took hold of Spike's hand briefly. "I'll take care of him, Spike."**

"**Good luck, Slayer. If you decide you need to move, don't wait for me, you hear? You don't wait."**

"**Hey, we're still us," she smiled, "Would I really wait for you?"**

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**Spike sat in the shadows and listened to the gang (**_**his friends?**_**) walk away. He couldn't keep the smile from his face as he heard Xander complaining that he was having a hard time feeling manly when Buffy was carrying him like a toddler. If he was still joking around, and in a stronger voice yet, then Giles' spell must have really worked. **

**Still the old man had been right. He'd need proper medical attention. **

**He sized up the sheet of sunlight that streamed down uncomfortably from the broken out window. If there was a sewing kit, it would be in what was left of the bedroom, and that lay on the other side.**

**He grimaced, but didn't hesitate. Making a leap he felt the pricks and pins of the sunlight hitting the top of his head and face. It didn't take but moments to get through…far too fast for there to be any danger of conflagration, but still his scalp and exposed skin prickled uncomfortably. **

**In his hand he realized he still held the bloody towel in a death grip. He swallowed reflexively as his stomach nearly growled. Breathing in the heavy scent, he guiltily brought it to his lips.**

_**It's going to go to waste if I don't use it. And Xan loves me, he says. He won't mind if I… I mean, he knows that I wouldn't feed from him, but this is just a towel. And I'm getting so hungry; nothing packed in the rush to get out of the 'Dale…. And it's just a towel.**_

**Spike placed the towel in his mouth and started to suck hard. He felt disgusting. And excited.**

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End Chapter 13


	14. New Arrivals

**Battling with a God**

Ch 14 – New Arrivals

**Buffy kicked in a battered door and hustled the others into a dank and filthy former customer area. The rusted and faded sign out front proclaimed this was 'E—L's G-ra—**

**S—rvice'. It looked like E—l hadn't been around in a while.**

**She carried Xander in and laid him on a service desk, knocking over a rusted bell which clunked dully to the floor. Their every move kicked up a small blizzard of dust motes and there was coughing and sneezing making the rounds among the friends.**

"**Earl could have used a housekeeper," Xander quipped, trying to catch his breath and hide the pain he was in. Buffy really jostled him trying to lift him up onto the counter.**

"**We could use a car rental place," Buffy said back. "We're really screwed here."**

"**We'll think of something. After all, we've got two wonder-Wiccas on our side, right," he gave her hand a friendly squeeze.**

"**Speaking of which," Buffy said watching Tara and Willow sitting face each other. Their hands gripped the other's creating a circle with their arms. Both were muttering quietly and after less than a minute, Buffy felt a wave of…something…pass over her skin.**

"**What was that," she asked them as they broke apart.**

"**Sort of like ionizing the air," Willow said, "Except for magic. I got the idea from remembering when we had to hide the Initiative's tracer in Spike's back."**

"**Maybe it'll scramble Dawn's signal, a little. Give us a rest," Tara shrugged.**

"**Why don't we all have some water," Giles offered. He already had a bottle out from the backpack Dawn had been carrying. He stood with Anya and was trying to get her to take some.**

"**No," she kept screaming. "The rat's are in the well! She's going to melt!"**

"**So, now what," Dawn said, trying to distract attention from Anya's outburst. Every time poor Anya said anything, Dawn felt guilty all over again.**

"**We can't stay her for long," Xander said. "And you guys can't keep carrying me. You'll make better time if you leave me here and go. Maybe you can track back to Sunnydale and try again with your cars."**

"**We're not just leaving you behind," Buffy said irritably and forcefully.**

"**That's out of the question," Giles added.**

"**Guys; Spike stayed behind because there was no choice. Now, I'm in the same boat here. You need to go," he insisted.**

"**We didn't abandon Spike. He'll meet us here," Willow said. **

"**I think the argument is moot," Tara said. She was quickly pushing the door shut that Buffy had kicked open. Outside were the sounds of men yelling and the sounds of metal on metal. The heavily armored Knights had found them.**

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**Most of the Knights were now on foot, having lost the battle with their horses. Gregor, the two clerics and a handful of men were able to hold onto the steeds until the witch's curse had faded but the others were still wandering out in the desert somewhere. Worse, for the General, was that at least two dozen of his men also were unaccounted for.**

**With a cry the General rushed the small building on foot where they saw one of those within shut a door. **_**It won't help them,**_** he glared coldly at the dilapidated condition of the building. **

**He led the charge, beside him a man by the name of Duncan from Wales. The others were close behind with their swords drawn. He'd made his orders clear and trusted the men to honor them. No one within was to be killed, if it could be helped at all. Except for the false person, of course…her they'd behead or gut as soon as within range. And then the threat to their world would be over and he could go home. He missed Italy. They'd been here too long spinning their wheels. **

**He expected they'd have to slay the Slayer as well, to reach what she'd chosen to protect. He didn't relish the idea, but he accepted the price.**

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**Tara tried to hold the door, as Willow grabbed one of the spell books they'd brought. It was valiant of her, but pointless. Gregor's heavy build hit the door and knocked her to the floor with a grunt. As she fell, she heard Anya scream bloody murder.**

_**Don't hurt her! She's sick, **_**she thought. For a moment she was filled with despair. She'd known that trying to pretend they could hide here wasn't going to work, but she wanted to believe they'd have more time to think.**

**Right behind Gregor, Duncan barreled in as well, but was met by the Slayer. Buffy gave him a vicious rabbit punch to his face and heard him grunt as she felt cartilage in his nose crack. She followed up by taking him by his sword arm and flipping him over her hip.**

"**Willow," she cried as she made her way back toward Dawn.**

**Dawn was currently ducking down near Xander, her eyes wide with fear. Gregor immediately picked her out of the group and rushed toward her with his sword. He heard Buffy yell, but ignored her. It didn't matter if she reached him, as long as he had time to complete his sword stroke, first.**

**Dawn tried to back away, falling heavily on her butt as Gregor stood over her with his sword ready to complete its down stroke. Xander, who'd been lying still with his eyes closed, picked that moment to stop playing opossum. He kicked out with his leg, catching Gregor in the side of his face and sending him into the wall behind the counter. **

**Before the man could recover, Buffy had him by the back of the neck. She swung him around and drove his head into the counter, knocking him out cold.**

**In the meantime, Tara, from her place on the floor, cast an incantation at Duncan. He suddenly felt as if bugs were burrowing into his skin and though he tried to ignore it, it was overwhelming.**

**It gave Giles the opening he needed to wrestle with the man, shoving him out of the door. Behind him, however, were the rest of the Knights and they were rushing rapidly toward the vulnerable group.**

"**Our enemies, they fly and fall," Willow intoned in the meanwhile. "Hercules arms encircle us and act as a wall."**

**From Willow outstretched hands an orb of shimmering light formed. It expanded rapidly, flying through her and then the group, the walls and the ceiling. When it stuck Gregor, the unconscious man was flung into a post and held there for a heartbeat as the bubble continued to flow through him, expanding all the while. His body fell to the floor, unable to continue its momentum.**

**Outside, several of the Knights, including Duncan were shoved forcefully away from the structure. More Knights, unable to stop their momentum bounced off the shield now surrounding the abandoned gas station, bodies entangling in the dirt. Other Knights, including Orlando beat against the barrier with swords, maces, and fists. It glowed and shifted, but they were unable to breach it.**

"**Mystics," he yelled, furious. "They have General Kossimo! I want this barrier removed, now!"**

**Elias and Sandor approached the barrier and placed their hands, palms out, against it. After some quiet muttering, Sandor turned to him.**

"**Powerful magic. It will take time to fell."**

"**I'm not interested in excuses," Orlando replied darkly. "I want this barrier breached. Call on whatever powers you need to, but if God won't assist, then call somebody else."**

**Sandor turned away without comment and joined the muttering chant that Elias had already started.**

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"**Thanks, Xan," Buffy said.**

"**That's what a Scooby does," he grimaced. "I could really use some pain meds, though."**

**Tara had been approaching them and she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let suffering be eased, let pain be gone. We do not relinquish prior spells. We supplicate to Gaea in our time of need. Great Mother, take the love of my spirit and bring comfort to this worthy hero."**

**Buffy, Dawn and Xander saw Tara's eyes turn white for several seconds. When they'd cleared, she stumbled a little, but quickly recovered. She smiled at them and Xander realized that his pain, while not completely gone, had lessened by a considerable amount.**

"**Thanks, T. And thank Gaea, too, for me," he grinned at her.**

"**Just stop doing things to make yourself worse," Tara said with a small grin. "She tends to get annoyed if we have to ask for the same things over and over."**

**Across the room, Giles was scurrying through shelves and cabinets. When Buffy walked up to see what he was doing, he pointed out that they had a hostage. They needed to secure him.**

"**Do you think we can bargain for him," Buffy asked.**

**Giles looked doubtful before seeing the note of worry in her eyes. He put on a forced smile, "We'll see. At least it gives us something."**

"**I'm sorry, Giles. We should have just stayed and found a way in town."**

"**Buffy, you haven't done anything wrong. We stayed as long as we could, until it was no longer tactically useful. Sometimes, we do everything right, and things get bollixed anyway. For right now, help me find something to secure our guest with, hmm? We'll figure out what we can do with him later."**

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**Several hours passed with everyone seemingly in a holding pattern. The Scooby Gang couldn't go anywhere, and the Knights wouldn't. Buffy grew less and less optimistic as time passed. They had water, but food consisted of a few candy bars that Dawn had snuck into the backpack. It was a good thing she was so sneaky, or they'd have nothing but dirt to chow on.**

**The guy they'd knocked out was secured in a room in the back. It used to be the auto mechanic's garage, but they'd found a sturdy post they could use to bind him to. In addition, Willow had once again pulled out the mojo and now the cheap twine they'd found was acting as strong as chains. But most of Will's energy was going into keeping the barrier spell going. She'd even started 'siphoning' a little from the others to help out.**

"**Hekyl and Jekyl are really getting on my nerves out there," she complained.**

"**Can you keep it up, Will," Buffy asked.**

"**Not forever," Tara interceded. "It takes more energy to keep it solid than it takes for them to punch a hole."**

"**We got a, maybe, half a day at best," Willow shrugged apologetically.**

"**Do your best," Buffy said. She next walked over and bent next to Dawn and Anya. Anya had her head lying on the younger girl's shoulder and was humming something tunelessly. Dawn was quietly stroking her hair.**

"**How are you holding up, Dawnie?"**

"**Fine. Scared, but fine," she gave a tired smile. "What are we going to do, Buffy?"**

"**Giles and I are working on that. We got forehead tattoo, we'll see if we can get them to back off a little. Anya, how are you," she said quietly. She laid a hand on her shoulder but Anya shook it off. **

"**You're going to lose," she said angrily, causing Buffy to flinch. **

"**She doesn't know what she's saying," Dawn told her sympathetically, as if she knew exactly what was going on in her sister's mind.**

"**I know. It just reminds me of mom."**

"**Yeah," Dawn nodded sadly.**

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**When Buffy returned to the back room, she found the prisoner awake, finally. Giles was scowling while the guy tied up seemed almost bored. It sort of pissed her off a little.**

"**Ah, Buffy…meet Gregor, the leader and General of our assailants," Giles said. "Gregor, Buffy Summers, the Slayer."**

"**I know who she is. If you think even she can be used to intimidate me into calling off my men, you are sadly mistaken."**

"**If 'your men' don't back off, I may get cranky all over you," she threatened.**

"**Your threats fall on deaf ears, girl. I am a soldier…pain and even death is something I've pledged to accept a long while ago."**

"**I've been trying to explain to our 'guest' that we can hide Dawn effectively. That our goals are the same, keeping her away from the Beast until it is too late to use the Key."**

"**That is not the point," Gregor insisted, raising his voice. "If the Beast cannot use her now, someone will figure out how to use her later. The Beast herself is near immortal and can use her at leisure some other time if not now! The false sister is a force for evil and destruction. Death is the only way to be sure."**

"**That is not going to happen," Buffy glared. "And I will break anyone who comes near her in half."**

"**Why do you do this, Slayer? You're here to fight for the Powers of Good, and yet you protect the instrument of Chaos."**

"**It's not that simple," Giles put in.**

"**No. The monks played their cruel joke on you. Manipulated you and your feelings. I know something of religious orders and those who run them. They don't care who gets hurt in their machinations. Something I imagine you also recognize…the Watcher's Council does not have a sterling reputation, itself," Gregor sneered. **

"**Yet this does not matter. The Key is the link and whatever it may appear to be now, the link it remains. The link must be severed. This is the will of God."**

"**How dare you think you can know anything of the will of God," Giles sneered himself now. "Religion has been claiming to know what God wants for centuries, when really He's a front for petty men wanting to control their fellows and wring them of their God-given right to free will. You come in here and speak of God, as if he has come up and shook your hand and given you his blessing! You're following the orders of a man, and he's as fallible as any."**

"**No God I know," Buffy inserted, "would demand the life of a child. And any who did wouldn't be one that I'd respect or listen to. Dawn doesn't know anything about this 'Keyhood'. She only knows that she's a teenage girl with family who loves her! Please, put an end to this. Help us get her away safely and I'll help you defeat Glory for good."**

"**Not even if my men would follow such an edict. The Key remains a danger as long as it exists. Sever the breath of this 'girl' and we sever the danger the world will remain in," Gregor said flatly, almost as if reciting by rote.**

_**It's like debating against a brick wall, **_**Buffy despaired. **_**A fanatical brick wall with troops who have us outnumbered.**_

_**Is he wrong, **_**Giles thought almost despite himself. **_**Even if we do keep Dawn away from Glory, is he right that the danger she represents will continue. Am I betraying the world by allowing this to continue?**_

**In the customer area, Xander argued silently with Hyena. She wanted to save them by helping Gregor.**

_**It makes sense, **_**she insisted in her half-whine/half-growl. **_**As long as Dawn remains, she endangers the pack. And she's not one of us. She's just a thing wrapped in an illusion.**_

_**You're just a thing, **_**Xander hotly thought back. **_**An empty voice in the darkness; maybe **__**you're**__** no more than an illusion that should be destroyed!**_

**Hyena slinked off, leaving Xander to shiver. For the first time, he could feel her hostility that she'd somehow kept hidden from him for so long.**

_**Commando?**_** He waited for several moments but there was no reply. **_**C'mon…where are you these days?**_

**His internal conversations were cut short when Anya began to struggle against Dawn's hold on her. She was starting to try to scratch at Dawn's face as the young girl kept trying to calm her down. Willow and Tara both rushed to help, but Anya seemed inconsolable and they didn't have her medication. It was left back in the wreck.**

"**She needs me…no…let go, she needs me! It's time! Time! I'm needed!"**

**In Sunnydale General, Nurses Rambolt and Peterson lay dead on the floor of the sixth floor mental ward. Both had long bloody wounds, made with curved daggers. Around their lifeless bodies, the mental patients being treated there were shepherded to the stairwell by the minions of Glorificus. The stairwell held the cadaver of security guard, Brian Silwell who'd also fallen afoul of the grey skinned goblins. The time had come to start Glory's last monument to the world she'd been trapped on for so long.**

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End Chapter 14


	15. It's Always Darkest

**Battling with a God**

Ch 15 – It's always Darkest….

**Spike stood under the broken window and stared at the twilight sky above him. In minutes he'd be free to catch up with the gang and feared what he'd find. Times like this left him nearly gasping in shock at how far he'd fallen, or how much he'd gained depending on one's point of view. It was something that Dru would never grasp and the thought that Angel was the only one who would turned his stomach just a little. **

_**I swear, **_**he thought, **_**if I turn into Broody Poof, Junior, I will have Xander stake me on the spot!**_

**The night had cooled considerably and the stars beginning to flood the sky reminded him how beautiful it could be to live on this poor wretched world, after all. He just wished that Xander and he were on a hilltop somewhere, maybe with a bottle of wine and a telescope.**

**In his hand he tightly clutched the sewing kit he'd found among the jumble in the tiny bedroom. It'd taken a solid forty minutes to find the bloody thing and it'd been practically glued to his hand ever since. Just thinking about Xander had his face shifting; if those men caused any permanent harm to his man, he'd rip their bloody limbs off…chip or no chip.**

**Finally, the demon's instinct told him he was safe from the rays of the sun. He wasted no time in jumping up to the window and hauled himself out one-handed. **

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**Orlando paced furiously behind the clerical spellcasters. His mood had grown progressively worse as the hours wore on. They'd assured him that they were nearly through at least three times now, only for them all to remain trapped behind the witch's barrier.**

"**Clerics! What is the hold up," he shouted. Spittle flew from his mouth and he expended no energy to tone down his anger. "And so help me if you tell me ****again**** that you are nearly through and fail to deliver….!"**

"**Maybe I can help," a female voice surprised him. Around him he became aware of a ripple of fear going through the dozens of men he now commanded.**

"**What you really need in this situation is somebody useful. Unlike the brown robed set and believe me, I know how pointless their existences can be," Glory said as she walked toward them seemingly without a care in the world.**

"**The Beast," Orlando whispered with awe.**

"**It's Glorificus, hon. And, I've come to collect what's mine. Step aside and you'll live long enough to return to your olive groves or whatever you do in Vatican City."**

**Orlando tried to swallow but found he was out of saliva. He looked at his sword with their etched runes and tried to take solace in them. They all knew this day may come, when it was not the Key that they sought to destroy that they found, but the Hellgod herself.**

"**Attack!" Orlando yelled with as much confidence and passion as he could summon and rushed the blonde woman. He noted the irritated look on her face and then he was swinging his sword to behead her. He never got to see if he'd been successful, for a heartbeat later and he was lying with a broken neck fifteen feet away.**

**Glory ramped up her assault on the Knights. She knew that their weapons were designed with her in mind and although the thought that they could actually harm her didn't enter her head, she didn't want Buffy and Key to make a get-away while she was occupied. Her arms flew around her in punches and grabs almost faster than the human eye could follow. Surrounding her were the sounds of dead bodies striking ground and the cries of the soon to be dead screaming and moaning. She was especially amused when she noted that one cleric was running, while the other was looking dumbfounded at this turn of events. He was quickly killed by a spin kick that had his stomach caved in, his body leaving blood smears behind on the wall of force keeping the Key ensconced in false safety.**

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**The gang heard the commotion outside and though no one wanted to think it, their first collective thought was that Glory had found them. When Dawn peaked out, her stomach, heart, hell…everything fell into a dark, despairing pit in her stomach.**

"**Buffy!"**

"**I know, come on," she yelled as she grabbed Xander. He was able to hobble along beside her, but knew he couldn't make good time and he was dragging them down.**

"**Buffy, for God's sake, grab Dawn and go!"**

"**No! I'm not losing anyone," she insisted. "Willow we need a door in the bubble behind the garage. We're going out through a wall!"**

**In the meantime, Tara struggled to pull Anya along. The woman wanted to stay, her face full of rapture.**

"**She's here! She's here for me! It's time…it's, stop…it's time. She's come!"**

**When they reached a rear wall, no one stopped to release Gregor. Willow focused a telekinetic blast and hurled the force at the back wall, punching a hole through it. A moment later and the gang were running out into the blackness of the desert. No one wondered where they were going or how they were going to find their way back to civilization. Only one concern filtered through the group: Dawn had to be gotten away before it was too late.**

**Giles yanked on Dawn's arm, forcing her to hurry. He refused to allow his mind to consider the alternatives.**

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**Glory stood looking at the broken bodies around her. She wasn't really interested in whether they were dead or just broken, but a groaning man was at her feet. She couldn't resist the temptation and lifted her foot over his terrified face. A moment later and she'd kicked him in the side as hard as she could, lifting his body and sending it air born.**

"**Hmm, about forty feet," she smiled at herself. "Not bad."**

**Next she stepped up to the barrier that had been holding the Knights at bay. She wound up an arm and punched it flat on with a fist. Instantly a hole shimmered into the field, allowing her to step through.**

**The dilapidated door of the building was even easier. She'd barely had to push on it and it fell off its rusty hinges. She surveyed the room, expecting a Buffy sized fist to come her way. Not that it would do any good. But nothing happened. The room appeared empty.**

"**Come out, come out, wherever you are," she sang.**

**Entering the back portion of the place revealed a large hole in the wall. She grimaced, irritated. They ****still**** thought they could just waltz away with her property. **

_**What are they, mentally deficient? Is there something in the water destroying brain cells?**_

**They had left her a bonus gift, however. Tied tightly to a pole stood Gregor glaring at her coldly. She couldn't help but laugh in an uproar. **

"**Oh, now that is just about the saddest thing I've ever seen," she said. The mirth in her eyes belied her statement. "You're the one that I was supposed to be so worried about? The mighty General of God's Army? Boy, his face must be red."**

"**Hand me my sword, Hellspawn and untie me. I'll show you what the Vatican's Warrior can do."**

"**No, I'm afraid I just don't have the time. But I will give you this," she said pulling down an old hubcap hanging on a nail in the wall. With a hard throw, she sent it like a Frisbee, slicing deeply into Gregor's chest. His lungs were instantly halved and his heart smashed by the blow. A few reflexive jerks of his body and he slumped over; eyes wide with shock.**

"**Sorry, Gregor. Tough break," she said proceeding through the hole and out into the night. Another punch and another tear in the barrier and she was running across the desert sand. The dark was as nothing to her and she saw her prize about thirty feet ahead and slipping and stumbling in the sand.**

**Although the gang was scrambling out there as well, all Glory saw was Dawn.**

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**Spike could smell blood thick in the air long before he reached the first body. Though it was just one of the sardine-can guys, and ergo he didn't much care, he knew who had to be behind the carnage. And that, he did care about.**

"**Dawn?" He began to run at the upper most limit of his mortal speed. Until he hit the barrier around the gas station, which had yet to fade on its own. Picking himself up off of the ground with some colorful swearing he 'knocked' on the shield.**

"**Got me feeling bloody ridiculous," he complained. And then he heard Dawn scream.**

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**Giles was urging Dawn to hurry when he felt something clamp onto his shoulder painfully. Spun around off balance, he saw the woman from the shop. The woman who'd summoned Sobek. The woman, who wasn't anything of the sort.**

"**Excuse me old man," he heard.**

**All of this passed through his mind in a few heartbeats. Before he could cry a warning, he was being unceremoniously thrown aside, colliding with the struggling Anya and Tara and the cajoling Willow. All three women were knocked flat by Giles' weight.**

**Ahead of them, Buffy heard Dawn scream for her. Turning around, she dropped Xander to the ground and took a flying run at Glory as the bitch tried to man handle her sister into her arms.**

**Buffy's momentum carried her into Glory, who'd already noted the Slayer's approach. She swung out a fist and Buffy almost comically ran straight into it. Except instead of laughing, she'd yelled in pain as her nose started to rush blood. A moment later and Glory kicked her away and sent a shocking pain through her ribs. She found herself slamming hard into Xander with him yelling out as loudly as she.**

**When Buffy regained her feet, Glory was gone. And so was Dawn.**

"**No…no…," she whispered as she fell to her knees.**

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**Spike was racing around the abandoned garage when he caught sight of a blonde and brunette blur race past. Jumping immediately to the conclusion that it was Glory moving at superhuman speeds and that she had Dawn with her, he concentrated a moment toward the task at hand.**

**Summoning the reserves of 'fuel' in his muscles, he took off running far faster than even the Slayer could manage. The wind smacked his face and his leg muscles strained and complained at the load they were being asked to carry. Like when he'd had to get Xander to the hospital, he moved faster than the human eye could account for.**

**It wasn't enough. Ahead of him, he could make out more details of the back of Glory. He saw Dawn's hair flying behind them nearly straight. She was unconscious, which wasn't surprising. At these speeds, getting enough oxygen became an issue for mortals.**

**He redoubled his efforts to catch up with the goddess. He had no idea what he'd do if he did catch her. If she dropped Dawn, or if they fell, she'd be killed instantly the moment she impacted the tarmac. Hell, if he fell at these speeds, he'd be lucky if his shattered bones ever healed right again, if he didn't dust immediately from decapitation or the liquefaction of his heart muscle. It's why vampires didn't fight at these speeds. All it would require was to try to make a hairpin turn and his leg bones would snap like twigs. Practically speaking, he needed to remain in a relatively straight line and hope that he didn't run into anything. He wondered if Glory would even be mildly inconvenienced. Just how tough was she? Where were her damned limits?**

**He needn't have worried. In all too brief a time, she pulled out ahead of him again. He hadn't even gotten close to her. And like when he'd used this stunt to save Xander, his body was quickly lapsing into mortal speeds and it was crying for blood and rest.**

**Spike stumbled to a stop and dropped to his knees. Fighting against his muscles and stopping their cramping with sheer willpower, he took several ragged breaths of the night air. He looked for Glory and Dawn, but they were gone. It was likely that they were several miles from him by now.**

**Spike turned back the way he'd come, still kneeling on the road. Then he remembered who was left behind, "Xander?"**

**By the time he'd gathered up enough strength for the walk back to the service station, he found the gang shell shocked out front. Around them lay the dead, but he doubted that it was the bodies that had them so upset.**

**Anya was crying because Glory'd left her behind and she needed her. Giles was furious, staring with a look of unadulterated murder down the road at Glory's (long gone) back. Willow and Tara both looked a little beat up, but were otherwise fine. Willow currently had her arm around a teary eyed and curiously blank looking Slayer while Tara was supporting Xander as much as she could. He immediately rushed to their side and took Xan's weight off of her.**

"**Hey, undead…our situation just went from poor to sucks," he said.**

"**Yeah. I tried to catch her, but no dice…sorry," Spike muttered. No vampire liked when their limitations were thrown in their face, but Glory taking Dawn from them had him feeling like a failure. And terrified for the teen; his Little Bit. She'd needed him and he wasn't there for her.**

"**Buffy…c'mon, Buff, don't flake out on me now," Willow was heard muttering.**

"**Buffy," Giles added in a sharp tone.**

"**What's up with the Slayer," Spike asked.**

"**I-I'm not sure. I think she's gone into shock," Giles murmured. "We need to get back to Sunnydale. There's still time to save Dawn if we can get Buffy to come around."**

"**Good idea," Xander said. "Uh, any idea how we're supposed to get there?"**

**Nearby, a horse chose that exact moment to whinny.**

"**Oh, you've got to be kidding," Xander exclaimed.**

"**Saddle up cowboys and girls," Spike said with no enthusiasm.**

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**It took over an hour to return to Sunnydale, mostly because they had to keep stopping so that one or another of them wouldn't fall of their horse before they could reposition. Spike immediately took Xander to the hospital, having had no time to use the sewing kit he'd lost in the desert. His side was bleeding again as Giles' spell had long since worn off and he was muzzy headed.**

**It fell to Tara and Willow to take Anya and Buffy to the Magic Box, or what was left of it. Giles had decided that would be where they'd make their final plans. He was confident that Dawn wouldn't be hurt until it was time for the portal ritual. That would give them time to find what they could use in the store's basement and to get ready.**

**He'd told them that he needed to return to his apartment. Willow had immediately objected to them being separated, but Giles was adamant. Glory wouldn't waste time with them anymore, now that she got what she wanted. As he split off from the others he muttered 'that's a mistake she'll not live to regret'. **

**The look in his eye was enough to give even Spike pause about saying anything.**

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End Chapter 15


	16. Power

**Battle with a God**

Ch 16 – Power

**Xander limped out of one of the examination rooms on the first floor of Sunnydale General. Behind him, a young intern scowled displeased. Xan had been given the usual rigmarole about observation and the 'against my professional advice' lecture. He'd already heard the same tune when trying to get Anya signed out. With a role of his eyes, he'd insisted that he'd leave right now if the doctor didn't produce the proper form to sign himself out while leaving the medicos liability-free.**

**Down the hallway and near the exit door, stood Spike. He was smoking, of course, and just as naturally wasn't concerned with his air pollution drifting further inside where the sick people were.**

"**Hey, Platinum, you need to pay attention to the signs on the wall," Xan said as he walked up. He pointed to the 'No Smoking' sign in red hanging not a foot away from the vampire.**

"**Saw it. I figured it was only applicable to those with a pulse," he smirked. "How are you?"**

"**Ready for duty, let's get to the Box. Any word on how Buffy's doing or where Giles went in such a huff?"**

"**Your cell hasn't rung," said Spike as he handed the instrument back to its owner.**

"**Then let's head over to the store."**

"**Xander, maybe you should sit this out. You're hurt."**

"**I will say this one time," Xander replied, "And one time only. I fight for and beside the Slayer. I always have and I always will. I will not be pushed to the sidelines every time things get dangerous now, just because you suddenly realize how hot I am. Now, let's go."**

"**Yes, sir, Your Royal 'Hotness'," Spike grinned.**

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**At the Magic Box, entrance was gained by the side alley door with a simple spell from Willow. They ushered their charges in. Buffy sat obediently on the floor, her back resting against the wall. She was staring off into space. Two large tears hovered as if they were defying gravity on her lower lids, refusing to fall.**

**Anya was muttering that the time was near. It was all that Tara could do to restrain her from running out into the darkness. Already she sported a red mark over her left eye where Anya had gotten in a strike. The woman was nearly wild and refused to sit on the sofa where Tara tried to settle her.**

"**Quiesco," Willow snarled at her.**

**Anya immediately collapsed onto the sofa, falling into a mystical sleep.**

"**Willow! Magic is dangerous in her condition," Tara complained as she checked Anya's pulse.**

"**I don't have time for her crap," Willow said tensely. "Glory has Dawn and Buffy is out of action."**

**When Tara turned to glare at her girlfriend, she saw her eyes glow red and gasped. "Will? Will, I need you to calm down, okay?"**

"**There's so much to do," Willow fidgeted sounding stressed. "I'm not sure what to do first." From her fingernails, red electricity buzzed around her fingers, unnoticed by her.**

"**Willow, what have you done to yourself," Tara said. She'd seen the dark magicks that Willow had used against Glory with her own eyes. She wanted to believe they'd gotten lucky, but obviously its effects on Willow were just now being seen due to the stress she was under.**

"**Will, get a hold of yourself," she said sharply, nodding at Willow's hands.**

"**Oh…oh, wow. Uh, thanks, baby. I guess I was getting a little wigged there for a minute."**

"**We'll talk about it later. Right now, you need to take a break from magic. Let what you've absorbed from that damned book get purged from you. We can do a purification ritual once we're past Glory and Dawn is safe."**

"**Y-yeah, okay," Willow nodded. "But right now, I need to help Buffy."**

"**Maybe we have some smelling salts somewhere around here?"**

"**Maybe, but I think we need the more direct approach."**

"**Like what," Tara asked as she covered Anya with a sooty, but dry blanket.**

"**I'm going to go into Buffy's mind," Willow said. She was already prepared for Tara's rejection of that idea.**

"**That's risky and you've been exposed to dark magicks, Will. I should go," Tara surprised her.**

"**Oh, uh, are you sure?"**

"**No. I'm scared. But we can't win this without Buffy. Plus if we don't help her, who knows if she'll ever come out of this fugue state. And I'd rather you not be in Buffy's head right now. I'll go. We need three white candles. And I want you to back me up and make sure that I don't get pulled into Buffy's fantasies or fears."**

**Willow hurried around the shop, grabbing candles from the floor without argument. She'd always wanted for Tara to find her own inner strength, and now the blonde witch was showing it off in spades. She got lucky in that the book of matches in the drawer of the counter managed to not be ruined.**

**When they were ready, Tara sat in a Lotus position and took a few deep breaths. As she released them, she hummed a soft tune, meditating into the right frame of mind. In the meantime, Willow sat behind her, hands on her shoulders. She also closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, coming into contact with Tara's aura. **

**Tara's eyes shot open, but her sight was blank. She was inside Buffy's head now.**

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**Giles rushed into his apartment, not bothering to shut the door behind him. He was deeply angry, not at Glory particularly, but at the Fates that seemed to be conspiring to force him to kill someone he'd become fond of. Yes, she didn't start off as a person, only an object. But now she was a living, breathing, growing human being. He couldn't extinguish her innocent life over something that she wasn't responsible for, and yet, if it was her or the world, what was the alternative?**

**To beat Glory, once and for all. And to do that, Giles opened the secreted chest and hauled out the book. Finding the spell he needed he recited the words without hesitation. **

**Out of doors, the weather quickly turned to darkened skies. The moon was blotted out by angry clouds and ominous thunder boomed. The wind picked up and plucked leaves and small branches from the trees sending them spiraling out into the night.**

**Back in the Magic Box, Willow shuddered as she felt…something… but she steadfastly kept her mind on what she needed to do: take care of her girl while she, in turn, helped Buffy.**

**On the way to the Magic Box, Spike looked up at the angering sky and gave it the evil eye. He could feel something dark and violent breaking over Sunnydale. When he looked at Xander, he could see the young man felt it also.**

"**We need to hurry," Xander said. Spike didn't argue.**

**In the small bedroom the spell's energies and the Turkish alphabet flowed up off the page. They wound around each other, merging into two streams of dark black energy. The streams then traveled to Giles' still reciting mouth and entered. Gagging out the last of the recitation, he felt the darkness, the need for blood shed settle deeply in his gut somewhere. He could swear he felt his spirit shrinking from the darkness he'd invited into himself and tears flowed from his eyes.**

**But his mouth grinned maliciously. Standing he took a moment to appreciate the seduction of the power he now inhabited.**

_**The power that inhabits you! Don't forget that Rupert, or you're lost and doomed. Focus on the goal…Glory.**_

**Giles narrowed his black eyes and his face set in a look that promised death and destruction. Around him the room shook, plaster fell from the walls and the light fixtures in the room exploded in shards of broken bulbs. The damage followed behind him as he headed out the door.**

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**At Glory's penthouse, the impromptu celebration and champagne halted suddenly as the weather outside turned to stormy in minutes. The minions looked around fearfully, while even Glory felt…perturbed…by something in the air.**

"**Looks like we celebrated a little too soon," she said. "Take the brat to the tower site. I'll join you later after I kill the stupid Red Witch once and for all."**

**She could feel powerful magic and knew it was coming for her. Obviously, the spat at the college wasn't enough to convince Buffy's gal-pal to back off.**

**Around her, the imps had gathered the still passed out Dawn. They were rushing toward the exit as if their asses were on fire.**

"**Wait! Don't forget my jewel case," she called. Ten minutes later she watched the wind and the lightning from her window. "Bring it on, bitch," she muttered.**

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**Giles stood out in the pelting rain, unconcerned with the storm raging about town. He glared at the building and whatever part of him remained Rupert Giles had the presence of mind to evacuate the building. Using a smidgen of infused power he tripped the fire alarms within the structure, at the same time disabling the automatic notification to the fire department. He didn't want to kill any except for Glorificus, the Arrogant.**

**Once he saw the stream of people begin to run out of the building (pushed by a thought projection from him to ensure maximum retreat) he started strolling across the parking lot of the condominium. He could sense Glory waiting for him in her suite. He smiled coldly, all 'Ripper' now.**

**In her penthouse, Glory began to pace. Not nervously, she was quick to remind herself, for she was a God, after all. No, she was just…impatient…yes, she was impatient to get this over with so she could oversee her tower's construction. When the fire alarm began to go off, she smiled confidently in the mirror to herself.**

"**Finally."**

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End Chapter 16


	17. Mindtrip

**Battling with a God**

Ch 17 – Mindtrip

**Anya snored lightly on the sofa, muttering to herself that she had places to be. No one in the shop paid her any mind, or even heard her.**

**Willow's entire being was focused on Tara. She was monitoring her aura for any signs of distress and empathically feeling out her emotional state for any hint that she was slipping away and becoming incorporated into whatever was happening in Buffy's mind. If she lost perspective, she could end up trapped in a Buffy-delusion, even dying in the real world if she believed she was being killed in the mindscape to which she'd traveled.**

**Tara opened her eyes to find herself looking at a small vestibule. Curious she turned in a half circle until she found herself looking at a small, blonde child wearing pig tails. In her hand was a small, plastic doll and she was currently putting a dress on it.**

"**Hello," she said questioningly. She wasn't quite sure where she was, but it 'felt' safe.**

"**Hi," the child smiled. "Do you want to have a tea party with me?"**

"**Uh…I-I'm not sure. I think I'm supposed to do something. I-is this your house?"**

"**Uh-huh. I'm going to live here forever," the girl answered.**

"**What's your name?"**

"**Mommy and Daddy call me Buffy, but my secret name is… you won't tell any one will you," Buffy asked in a whisper.**

"**No. I won't tell."**

"**My real name is Joan," she whispered again. "I hate the name Buffy!"**

_**Buffy? Buffy! I'm in Buffy's mind, **_**Tara remembered. **_**Right, Buffy is lost and Glory has Dawn.**_

"**Uh, Buffy…what are we doing here," she asked, kneeling down in front of the child.**

**The girl blew an annoyed breath at her, "I told you! I'm having a tea party!"**

**Tara smiled, "No honey…uh…Buffy, I meant, why are we here…in this place? Why are you pulling the little girl act?"**

"**You're a little weird," Buffy said to her. **

**Just then the door behind Tara opened and she turned to see a very big Joyce and a red haired man enter the room. Joyce looked very young and in her hands she held a little bundle. A dark haired baby swaddled in a pink blanket. The wrap had a stylized 'D' embroidered onto it.**

"**Dawn," she whispered.**

"**Mommy! Daddy, your home," Buffy excitedly shouted. She rushed into what Tara now assumed to be Hank's arms. She'd never met him and if they had pictures hanging up of him at the Summers' house, she hadn't noticed them.**

"**Hey, kiddo," Hank picked her up and swung her around eliciting an excited squeal. "Look what your mom has brought home."**

**Buffy took on a peevish expression. "What, a stupid baby? So, what?"**

"**Come on, Buffy. Don't you want to meet your little sister," Joyce asked. Tara realized that these memories were completely false, and yet she couldn't stop smiling. No wonder Dawn remained so 'real' to them, even after they found out where she'd come from. The monks really had gone all out; she realized that Dawn's own energy was probably used in constructing this new reality in their minds. It was a little disconcerting.**

"…**be I could look after her? Just sometimes…." Buffy was saying.**

"**Well…it is a lot of responsibility," Joyce smiled. "Do you think you're ready to be the 'big girl' in the family?"**

"**I'm ready," Buffy smiled at her parents. "I'll be the bestest big sister, ever."**

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**Memories, like dreams are in a constant state of flux. Tara was disoriented for a short time as the entire tableau she was watching changed with the speed of thought. The seventies décor gave way to the late nineties. Gone was the vestibule like entryway into the Summers' home. Now, she stood in a very recognizable dining room. Buffy, the child, was replaced by her older self. Though she still looked different to Tara; not being as thin as she was now. She was sitting, pensive at the table while Joyce looked disturbed and worried. Dawn wasn't in evidence, but from the music upstairs Tara felt she knew where she was.**

"**Buffy, if he's been threatening you…?"**

"**No, no, it's not like that. I mean he hasn't really done anything. It's just that he's been following me around and stuff. I think he's having trouble letting go. I-if he should stop by while I'm not here, just…don't invite him in, okay? Make sure that Dawnie knows to stay away from him. I-I'm sure he won't do anything…." Buffy sounded unsure of herself to Tara and apparently Joyce had agreed. **

**She had sighed and now sat looking at her daughter. "I don't know, Buffy. Maybe we should just talk to the police. Dawn is getting to be that age when she's watching what you do, even if you don't realize it. She's looking to us to see how to let men treat her in the future. If this ex-boyfriend is turning into a stalker…."**

"**I'll take care of Dawn, mom. And I can deal with Angel…really," Buffy said.**

**Another shift in perception and this time Tara felt a lump in her throat. She was standing at the foot of Joyce's hospital bed from only a few months ago. Buffy had her mother's hand in hers and Tara got from the gist of the conversation that this was before the operation took place for the tumor.**

"**But, she ****is**** ours, isn't she? No matter how she came here, and I don't need the details, she is ****mine****. I won't give her up, Buffy. Promise me, promise me you'll never tell Hank… promise me you'll always be there for her as her sister," Joyce said.**

"**I will be mom. I promise you, Dawn ****is**** my sister. I'll look after her, no matter what," Buffy responded. She turned and looked directly at Tara.**

"**And a fine job I've done, isn't it?"**

"**Buffy? What happened…it wasn't your fault. You know that, right? We did the best we could," Tara insisted. "And it's not over. We can still get her back."**

"**Sure. Like Anya is back?"**

"**There's no reason to think Dawn will be hurt like Anya. She needs Dawn more," Tara reasoned.**

**The tableau altered itself again around her. Tara held her eyes shut against the motion that was turning her stomach. When she re-opened them she was in the past, only an hour? Two? How long had she been in here?**

"**Buffy," Tara heard Dawn scream.**

**She turned to watch Buffy who was strangely frozen. The effect only lasted a moment and then Buffy was running for Glory and just as in reality, she'd been batted away.**

**Suddenly, Buffy was standing at her starting position again. **

"**Buffy," Dawn screamed.**

**Frozen-Buffy stared for several heartbeats. She ran for Glory and was batted away.**

**And Tara found herself back in the Summers' living room, being invited to tea by little girl-Buffy.**

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**Xander and Spike came into the Magic Box soaked through to the skin and covered in wet leaves. Outside the storm continued to rage. As they stumbled in, they took in the sight before them.**

**Xander crossed the floor, looking at Buffy staring wide-eyed while Tara and Willow sat silent, still and with their eyes closed in front of her. His immediate concern was for Anya who was lying on the floor, twisted up in a ratty looking blanket.**

**Once he'd gotten her back on the couch and settled, he became concerned that she hadn't reacted at all to being picked up. He reached out for her wrist, but found her pulse steady and strong. Her chest was rising and falling with regular breaths.**

"**Anya is really out," he said.**

"**Maybe the Wiccans gave her something to help her calm down."**

"**What do you think is going on over there," Xander asked.**

"**Looks like a spell to me. The candles are white and in a triangle around them. I think we should sit tight and not disturb anything. If their mucking about with Buffy in her condition, any disruption might be dangerous."**

"**It's cold in here. Can you look for something more to cover Anya?"**

"**Yeah, of course. I don't see any sign of Rupes."**

"**I'll try his apartment with my cell," Xander said. But a moment later, he hung the device up, frustrated. The electricity was playing havoc with reception from the nearly constant lightning display outside. He was just about to call out to Spike to see if one of them (preferably Spike, it was nasty out) should run over to Giles', the streetlamps outside went out. Apparently, the freak storm was causing power outages, as well. Xander sighed. Somebody up there was really trying to stop them from re-grouping and finding Dawnie.**

_**And if we do find her? Are you ready to do what needs to be done, **_**Hyena asked harshly.**

"**I'm not talking to you," Xander whispered fiercely. **_**And where's Commando? I know you know something. He's in there with you after all!**_

_**Maybe he just faded away, **_**she growled at him. She felt restless and fueled with… belligerence. Xander was going to get them all killed because he wouldn't suck it up and take care of the problem.**

_**Well, until I hear from him, I don't want to hear from you, **_**Xander directed at her.**

**She looked into a corner of Xander's psyche he couldn't see himself. And there struggling, was another Xander Harris, dressed in a camouflage green uniform. **

**He tried to yell as loud as he could at the Xander in the real world, but Hyena had him overpowered and his voice wasn't attracting the physical Xander's attention. Hyena's smile was absolutely feral and he could feel the dark power, again, emboldening and strengthening her.**

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**Tara was again standing in the desert behind the service center. Around her were representations of her and the other Scoobies. It was weird seeing herself struggling to yank Anya along from earlier in the evening.**

**Again, Dawn screamed. And again Buffy froze for several heartbeats. The first time she'd seen this play out, it bothered her but she couldn't articulate why. Now she knew, this wasn't quite the way it played out for real. Buffy hadn't frozen like that. She'd seen her, she remembered, as Glory's presence became known. Dawn had barely finished screaming her name and Buffy had taken off like a shot to save her. As she did now; and this time it was just like in real life. Buffy was swatted away and Glory took Dawn.**

**This time as the scene re-set itself Tara stood in the frozen Buffy's path. When she went to run for Glory, Tara flinched, but didn't move out of the way.**

"**Tara, what are you doing," the Buffy in front of her yelled in exasperation.**

"**Trying to help," Tara replied calmly. "Buffy, what happened here?"**

"**Glory is getting away with Dawn!"**

"**Glory did get away with Dawn, Buffy. You can't change that no matter how many times we replay this scene. But something else happened here. It's something small, but the way you keep freezing before running to help Dawn…I know it's something."**

"**Don't go there, Tara, please," another Buffy said from beside her. This Buffy was dressed as the one in the hospital room with Joyce had been dressed. They both stood looking at action-Buffy who was again frozen at her starting place.**

"**What happened here, Buffy? It's something small, I know, but it was important."**

"**I promised I'd take care of her," hospital-Buffy replied. "I swore it to mom."**

"**And you have been. We've all been doing our best. It's not your fault what happened."**

"**Yes, it is," action-Buffy said, breaking from her frozen trance. "I did this to her."**

"**I don't understand," Tara admitted with a mixture of sympathy and frustration.**

"**This is when she gave up," hospital-Buffy replied calmly…almost disinterestedly.**

"**What," Tara asked, not quite grasping. She'd seen Buffy try.**

"**It was just for a minute," action-Buffy admitted. "Dawn screamed. I turned to see Glory had her…."**

"…**.and for just that one nanosecond, I wanted to let her go," hospital-Buffy said. "I've been so tired…."**

"…**and in that one brief moment," action-Buffy picked up the narrative. "I saw a way out. Dawn would die, and it would be horrible but it would be over."**

**Both Buffy's now joined their voices, both looking at one another with a mixture of pity and disgust. "Spike says that I have a death wish. That I want an end to the violence and the fear. The First Slayer told me that 'death is my gift', that all I'm here for is to do violence. For just that one moment, I wanted to give into what Spike talked about. I wanted it over and done with. I wanted to stop fighting."**

**Action-Buffy turned from her counterpart and met Tara's teary gaze. "I didn't want to stop Glory, not really, so I failed. She swatted me aside and took Dawn. I did that to her."**

"**No, Buffy…no. So for one heartbeat you wanted out of being the Slayer, so what?"**

"**So, she betrayed our promise to our mom," hospital-Buffy said simply. "She didn't protect Dawn and now she's going to die. We killed our sister."**

"**Buffy…Buffys…listen to me, please. You've had to accept so much on your shoulders and there are things that I and your other friends will never understand about being the Slayer. But this right here…this I ****do**** get. It's called 'guilt' and it's a normal emotion. But that's all it is…it doesn't mean anything. I was there in the desert… you never stood there like that and watched what was happening. You did try to stop Glory from taking Dawnie. And okay, so some normal but selfish part of your brain thought it would be easier to stop fighting? It didn't stop you from reacting. And I get that you're scared and sad and that you're sick of the violence, but right now you're just being self-pitying and selfish."**

**Tara turned her back on the Buffys and started to walk away. She hoped this worked because honestly, she had no clue what she was doing.**

"**Wait, where are you going," hospital-Buffy asked.**

**When Tara turned around, she met action-Buffy's eyes. "We still have time to save Dawn. I'm going to do what you should be…are you coming or not?"**

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**Tara came to and shook off the numb feelings in her limbs. Behind her, Willow was instantly alert and stroking her hair.**

"**Did it work? Is she alright," Will asked her.**

**Both of their eyes traveled to Buffy. Xander and Spike, unnoticed yet, stood behind them.**

**All eyes turned to Buffy and waited. With a shudder the Slayer seemed to snap back to the here and now. Her eyes met her friends' worried expressions and she felt two tears in her eyes fall. They were joined by others and she collapsed in tears.**

"**Dawn…oh, god, Dawnie…I'm so sorry," she sobbed in her hands.**

**Xander was immediately at her side pulling her to his chest. Tara and Willow weren't far behind, smothering Buffy in a group hug. Spike fidgeted at the display and chose to smoke instead of joining the emotion-a-thon.**

"**Not to break up this touching moment…," he started. Xander's glare told him to pipe down, so he did. Then he mentally kicked himself with a self-deprecating smile for turning into Xan's 'old lady'.**

"**No, no, Spike's right," Buffy said, encouraging the Scooby Gang to let her go. "We don't have time to do this…we have a war to wage. What's our sitch?"**

"**Spike and I just arrived and except for a set of brand new stitches, I'm ready to go," Xan said.**

"**Demon bint is out," Spike said.**

"**It's just a sleep spell," Willow offered, shading red for some reason. "She, uh, should be fine."**

"**She was out of control and wanting to run outside," Tara explained.**

"**What's up with the storm? How long have I been out of it?!"**

"**It just started suddenly a while ago. Maybe Glory is doing something," Xander offered before backtracking, "Uh, nothing to do with Dawn, I'm sure! I-I'm sure Dawn is fine…uh, happy even. Or, you know, not happy, because I'm sure she wants us to come to the rescue…."**

"**Smooth, Xan," Spike said.**

"**Not at all babble-y," Buffy squeezed his shoulder.**

"**Actually, I think this is magical," Willow said thoughtfully. "I can almost feel it in the air. Strange…but it feels…familiar, somehow. Almost like I know who's doing it."**

"**Here Will, let me link with you and sense what you're picking up on," Tara said while taking hold of Willow's hand.**

**After several moments of utter silence, except for the raging winds outside, Tara's eyes snapped open. "It's Giles! He's wielding black magic…God, he's so angry!"**

"**He must be going for Glory," Willow exclaimed.**

"**Oh, my God, he's going to get himself killed," Buffy cried out, bolting to her feet. Before the others could stop her, she was running out into the storm.**

"**Here, Spike," Xander yelled tossing him something from his jacket pocket. It was a set of car keys.**

"**What?"**

"**You can run faster than us. Go! Get my car and meet Buffy at Glory's. Get Giles and get the hell out of there!"**

**Again, Spike didn't hesitate doing what Xan wanted and in a dash, he was also out in the storm. The others looked at the door and listened to the raging thunder and lightening. Only the flickering candle light gave them any luminescence to see by and it did nothing for the chill in the air. **

"**Okay, Buffy and Spike will see to pulling Giles' fat out of the fire. Now, what are we gonna do to help," Xander looked at the two women.**

"**Gather stuff to fight with," Willow immediately answered. "The Orb-thingy is downstairs. Tara and I will go get it and see what else is there. You should see if we have any powders, talismans, anything at all up here that looks usable, Xan."**

"**Okay, gang, let's move like we have a purpose," he said, clapping his hands together.**

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End Chapter 17


	18. Destruction

**Battling with a God**

Ch 18 – Destruction

**Ripper Giles floated inches off the ground and glided down Glory's hallway leading to her penthouse flat. In his wake, the walls cracked and the ceiling sagged in. Wall sconces burst and the doors that he floated past burst inward.**

**When he reached his goal, he flicked his fingers and the solid double doors to the god's place exploded into lethal wood shards into the room beyond. He crossed the threshold and met Glory, standing across the room with a pissy expression on her face.**

"**That door was expensive," she bitched. "And I thought it was going to be the witch. If I had known it was just the old man, I wouldn't have gotten myself so excited with anticipation."**

"**I want the girl," Giles said, his voice several timbres lower than normal and with an odd reverb affect. He never lost the malevolent smile on his face.**

"**There is no girl. There's only my Key. 'Key' word being 'MY'."**

"**Dawn," he roared, rattling the windows and cracking a wall mirror nearby. He expected that she wouldn't be here, but he had to make sure. He couldn't do what he was planning on doing if the object of this gambit were present.**

"**Don't be an idiot," Glory sneered. She reached over and picked up an end table of cherry wood. She hauled back her arm and threw it across the room and into Giles' floating figure.**

**The table halted inches from hitting him and promptly shattered into small pieces which rained down on the thick carpeting.**

"**Kirilmak," he intoned. A mirror near Glory, all of the windows around the suite and plaster from the walls seemed to implode. Shards of lethal material zeroed in on the Hellgod shredding her dress as well as the furnishings they punctured in their flight.**

**Glory stood unaffected.**

"**You'll have to do better than that," she said. Picking up a huge shard of mirrored glass she raked it over her face, leaving not even a red line behind. "You see…immune to glass shards. Are you?"**

**Glory wound up and threw the shard of glass sending it flying into Giles. He grunted as it penetrated the field around him. It had whizzed too fast for him to catch, digging into his shoulder. Blood ran from the wound and dripped to the floor.**

"**Starting to see the difference between a God and a man, now," Glory wanted to know.**

"**Slap her down," spoken in Turkish was his only response.**

**Across the room, Glory was hit violently to the ground. Easily the blow would have staved in a man's head, but she simply shook it off. **

"**Well, son of a bitch, but you've got some brass balls," she said. Grabbing a settee, she flung this at Giles.**

**The massive furniture was easily stopped in mid stride by him and torn in half. The two ends were flung in opposite directions, hitting the walls and leaving huge tears in the plaster.**

**Glory marched toward him. Giles only smiled more.**

"**Bleed her," he intoned.**

**She stumbled to a halt and ran a finger under her nose. When she drew it away, she saw red liquid. "What? I can't bleed…I'm a God."**

"**Bleed her more," Giles said, only speaking in Turkish. In the more rational part of Giles' mind, he knew that he was starting to weaken. He could only absorb so much power from the 'Book of Midnight' and he was storing most of it for the end game. He was worried it wouldn't be enough, however and so was trying to soften her up.**

**Glory sucked in her cheeks and spat out a mouthful of pinkish spit. It wasn't nearly deadly and Giles knew that she should have been hemorrhaging all over the room by now. But still she marched toward him, floating there and waiting.**

"**Don," he tried, hoping to freeze her in place.**

**Glorificus struggled to continue her forward march, growing more and more angry by the moment. She wasn't used to being hurt, but the witch and now this Watcher had managed it and she had had just about enough.**

**With a frustrated gnashing of her teeth and scream of rage, she flexed her arms feeling the invisible shell around her rend and tear. She smiled savagely and continued her relentless march to get her hands on the old goat.**

**Giles felt the holding field rip and fall away from his prey and the backlash racked his body in pain. Gasping, he fell to the carpet and struggled to get to his hands and knees. Glory stood over him with a look of triumph on her face.**

"**Kandir onun ol uyuya kal," he gritted between his teeth. "Let her be fallen," he repeated.**

**Glory felt her legs lose their strength and she fell to the floor besides Giles. He was huffing and puffing, the dark energy taking their toll on his body as he struggled not to lose who he was. Glory was just livid and with a cry of vengeance, she struck out with her fist.**

**He felt the blow and knew he should be dead. Only the fact that he had a sheath of dark magicks riding his flesh kept his head attached and his bones unbroken. But nevertheless, he was propelled across the room, blacking out momentarily.**

**When he'd revived only moments later, his face was being washed by the rain and lightning was dazzling his eyes. He felt a strong grip on his legs and before he could do anything about it he was hauled back into the penthouse. His upper body had broken through the outside wall.**

"**I'm going to kill you," Glory said with spite.**

"**Y-you're forget-ting one thing," Giles panted.**

"**And that would be?"**

"**Some of us aren't afraid to die… to protect others," he said.**

**Glory saw a burst of dark bluish/black light behind his eyes and braced herself, "Crap."**

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**Outside the condo, Buffy could see flashes of light near the top floor. **_**Giles, **_**she thought worriedly.**

**A moment later and the entire top floor of the building exploded in a burst of light and sound that drowned out the thunderstorm raging above. **

"**Giles," she screamed over and over running for the burning and rapidly imploding building. The noise of the condominium's death drowned out her cries.**

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End Chapter 18


	19. What was Sown

**Battle with a God**

Ch 19 – What was Sown

**As Spike swerved Xander's car into the condominium parking lot, he saw the entire building cave in on itself. Ditching the car, he rushed toward the wreckage, looking for any signs of Buffy and Giles, though he held no hope of either.**

_**If they were in there, there won't even be intact bodies to bury left,**_** he thought.**

**To his amazement, he found Buffy crying in the rain which was quickly lessening. She was cradling her Watcher's body in her lap and repeating his name. Somehow, he'd ended up twenty feet from the destroyed complex.**

"**Buffy…is he?"**

"**He's alive," she shouted in relief. He could see now the smile on her face. Her tears had been those of relief. "I don't know how, but he's alive!"**

"**Glory?"**

"**I think I saw her. A body-shape went flying somewhere way the hell over there," she pointed off to the northeast. "Maybe he killed her?"**

"**We'll see," he said. "In the meantime, we need to get out of here. The authorities are gonna be crawling all over this place in minutes."**

**Buffy picked up Giles and wouldn't let Spike help her carry him. He led the way back to Xander's ugly purple Taurus and opened the back door for her. She crawled in, refusing to leave Giles' side.**

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**Tara and Willow shifted things around looking for anything that could be used to keep Glory busy while they tried to get Dawn away from her. So far they'd found and rejected a mummy's hand, some candles, newt's tails, three cats' eyes (the real things, not the marbles) and a fetish doll designed to attract the opposite sex. In one of Willow's hands glowed the Sphere that was supposed to drive Glory away. Fat lot of good it did when she was tearing apart the shop, but things were desperate so she kept it with her.**

**Tara squeaked startled, her hand to her chest. "Gee, that was not what I needed," she laughed.**

**Willow looked over her shoulder to see two sets of blank eyes staring at her unblinkingly. It was pretty creepy, at that.**

"**We should have disassembled these things by now," Tara said. "I mean, I know you find robotics interesting and all, but… 'ew' and a shudder."**

"**Yeah…I'll match your shudder and raise a…." Willow faded off, a thoughtful look in her eyes.**

"**Willow? Can't come up with anything to raise my shudder to?" Tara smiled and pecked Willow's lips, drawing her back from where ever her mind had gone.**

"**Actually, I think I can raise you a 'I can't believe I'm even thinking this'. I've got a wild idea. I'm going to have Spike take me to the dorm so I can grab my laptop."**

"**Will," Tara asked, mystified.**

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**Buffy and Spike arrived with an unconscious Giles. With Anya doing her mystic snoring on the sofa, they laid Giles out on the floor. Buffy left it to Spike to check him over, depending on both his sense of smell for internal bleeding and his sense of touch for recognizing broken body parts. He declared that Giles was in far better shape than he deserved considering his stupidity.**

"**Thanks, Spike. But leave kicking his ass to me," Buffy said. "Come on, Giles…please wake up."**

**From the floor, he stirred, blinking rapidly and started to sit up. The gang surrounded him, greatly relieved until he opened his eyes and they were black as pitch. He stood up and surveyed the room.**

"**Did I do it," he said in his deep, echo-y baritone.**

"**We don't know Rupes. Maybe," Spike answered.**

"**Don't ever call me that you undead filth," Giles spat at him.**

"**Now, wait just a damned minute," Xander said before he was rudely cut off by Giles' fist knocking him to the floor.**

**Spike immediately sprang to his fangs and moved to tackle the surely-possessed Giles. **

"**Vampiric leech," Giles sneered, pointing at Spike he intoned, "Flesh to dust."**

**Fortunately for Spike, Tara was faster on the draw. Summoning her will, she sent a bolt of mental force in his direction. Spike was violently shoved away just as he felt his skin begin to peel.**

"**Giles, what have you done," Willow exclaimed.**

"**You only want to know to steal my power… my greatness … from me!" Giles again pointed, this time needing no words. Willow was lifted off the floor and sent flying across the room. She hit the shelves behind the register counter with a loud grunt and fell to the floor.**

**Xander grabbed Giles around the legs and tried to wrestle him to the floor. As his hands began to burn red, Giles reached down to grab hold of the back of Xander's neck, when Buffy put a stop to everything by spin kicking Giles to the jaw.**

**He flipped over Xander's bent figure and slammed into the floor, once again unconscious.**

**For several moments, no one did anything. They just looked at one another at a loss. Finally, Buffy walked away, retreating to the back work out room of the shop.**

"**Giles must have tapped into some majorly dark mojo," Willow said with a groan. "And ow."**

"**This is what I fear, Willow," Tara said. Her eyes were wide in a pale face. "This is why I don't want you messing with dark magic."**

"**What do we do with him," Spike wanted to know.**

"**What do you mean? I mean," Xander floundered. "I mean he's still Giles, right?"**

"**It'll be okay," Willow said. "Xander, why don't you check on Buffy? Tara and I will set up a binding field and exorcise whatever darkness he's taken."**

"**Spike, I hate to ask," Tara said shyly. "But if I give you some money could you go buy some donuts and coffee. We have a lot of planning to do once we've reversed what Mr. Giles has gotten himself into."**

**Xander, who was headed toward the back turned with a grin, "Who's the donut boy, now?"**

"**Shut it, ya wanker! Anything for you," Spike said to Tara.**

"**And I need you to go get my laptop from our dorm room, Spike," Willow added.**

"**Hey, now, I'm not turning into a delivery boy here!"**

"**It's important, Spike. I've got an idea to help get Dawn back," she said.**

"**And besides, I'll add a few bucks for cigarettes and blood," Tara smiled.**

"**You had me at cigarettes, Blondie."**

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**In the back, Xander found Buffy standing with her face toward a wall. She was leaning forward, her forehead resting on her arms. Her eyes were closed and her shoulders were bunched up.**

"**Do you need to cry again," he said. "Because, hey, manly shoulders are right here waiting."**

**She turned to him with a thin smile. "No, the water works have been tapped out for the moment."**

"**You sure? 'Cause you're really due, Buff. This has been one crap couple of months for you. I wouldn't blame you if you needed to curl into a ball."**

"**No time. We need to save Giles from himself, then plan Dawn's rescue, then kick Giles' ass for the stunt he pulled and then finally rescue Dawn, kill the evil minions and maybe slag a god, if Giles didn't do it already."**

**She stretched her arms over her head and Xander looked away before he could get caught staring at her breasts. Hey, just because there was this weird thing with Spike didn't mean he couldn't still appreciate the female physique.**

"**It just keeps coming, Xan. Now, Glory has her Key and I don't even know what's going to happen to Dawn. I can't lose her, Xander. I just can't…not after mom…not after I gave up Angel. I just can't take another loss. I don't have enough strength in me, anymore."**

"**It'll be okay, Buffy. The two witches are exorcising Giles, or whatever. Then we'll storm the… wherever they're holding Dawn… and we'll beat them back, rescue her and restore Anya, and then live happily and boringly ever after," he said.**

"**I love you guys."**

"**Good. 'Cause we love you, too."**

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**In the main part of the trashed shop, Willow and Tara managed to scrounge enough crystals to encircle Giles' prostrate form. Relighting the candles that had ended up being extinguished and kicked around in the commotion, they set to chanting.**

**Buffy and Xander entered from the back room, hand in hand. They stood well back as the crystals glowed with an inner light around her Watcher.**

"**We banish thee, Spirit of Darkness, Corrupter of Men. We drive thee from this vessel," they intoned. Goose flesh appearing on their arms and their hair standing on end, like they'd come into contact with static electricity.**

**The witches continued to chant these lines over and over. After around the dozen mark, Buffy feared that it wasn't going to work. Suddenly the candles shot flames nearly a foot high and the crystals shot some sort of white lightning things at Giles. The witches chant picked up speed and volume as Buffy and Xander watched some sort of dark energy rise up out of Giles from his mouth. It twisted and danced, like smoke from Spike's cigarette and several times, she could almost see a malevolent face forming before it fell back into random spirals.**

**As the darkness coalesced into a blob, it shot from the binding field and seemed to disintegrate or drift apart in the air. Next to her, Xander suddenly grabbed his head and sank to his knees.**

"**Xander?"**

"**I'm okay, Buffster. I just got dizzy there for a second. I think the day is finally catching up with me."**

"**You sure you're alright? 'Cause we don't need any more surprises."**

"**Yeah…I'm good. Honest, I'm just exhausted."**

"**I hear that," Buffy nodded.**

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**The black magical force that Giles had taken into himself flowed out over Sunnydale. In its wake, the rain fell hard and lightning flashed across the sky. It entered Giles' apartment and found its way back into its holding place. The words he'd taken rewrote themselves and the dark energy resumed its rightful place, waiting for the next opportunity to dominate and destroy.**

**In Xander's mind, Hyena felt the rush of darkness filter out into the night. She reached out and tapped into it, allowing it to fill her with strength… and lust.**

**She turned to where Commando was cut off from Xander's perception. Commando screamed unnoticed by the physical Xander as Hyena tore him apart, permanently discorporating him.**

**As rapidly as she could, she raced to expand her own consciousness before Xander's own psyche could fill the gap that Commando's personality had occupied. She smiled, nearly licking her lips in anticipation.**

_**One down and one to go, **_**she thought with the satisfaction only a good kill could bring. **_**And then I'll be the one to take Spike. Then it'll be Buffy's turn and I will **__**finally**__** take my rightful place in charge of the pack! But first I have to help the other Xan take care of the Glory-hag or convince him to finally kill that sniveling, weak Dawn. One way or the other though, **_**she directed both toward Buffy and Xander, **_**your days are numbered.**_

**Hyena laughter echoed deeply inside Xander's subconscious.**

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

End Story

**Spanderverse Series**:

_BTVS seasons 1-4, excluding Restless._

Spanderverse: To Dream - **removed**; it sucked

Spanderverse: After 314

Spanderverse: Spike

Spanderverse: Dracula

Spanderverse: Burial

_BTVS: Real Me_

Spanderverse: Confusion of Three

Preludes

Tensions

Old Friends

Hospital Visits

The Risks of Glory

Hunting Our Needs

The Family We Choose

Falling Apart

Sunnydale Antics

Feints and Counter-Feints

Pathways

_BTVS: The Body_

Coming Together

Songs of Pain and Comfort

Battling with a God


End file.
